The Altruistic Grumpee
by Glow60
Summary: This story will be a continuation of my Grumpee and His Lost Boys. It will focus on DiNozzo's recovery and his little boy. It will also deal with how the Sciuto-Moores and the McGees family are handling the tragedy. Lastly, it will deal with the stress this tragedy has put on Gibbs. This stress will affect both Gibb's health and it will bring back many sad memories for him.
1. CHAPTER 1 - Tony's Awakening

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _It has been almost a year and a half since I have last posted any stories. Now that my husband and I are retired we have been doing a little traveling and also trying to do a makeover on the inside/outside of our house. We did have some setbacks because of my husband's health but he is doing somewhat better. During all this time, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about how I ended my_ _ **Grumpee and His Lost Boys**_ _(I wrote it back in March of 2016). The more I thought about the ending the more I was displeased with the ending. In my_ _ **Grumpee and His Lost Boys,**_ _DiNozzo, his wife and daughter were involved in a deadly car accident. Both Zoe and little Abby were killed and Tony was left with some serious injuries. For a time, Tony couldn't remember anything…not even the fact that he had a three-year-old son. So…the way I left the story Tony got his memory back. Me being me…I really didn't like how I ended because I felt it was unfinished and really felt guilty about it. So when I had a chance I decided to try and finish it. I hope you enjoy it?_

 _ **Summary**_ _– This story will be a continuation of my_ _ **Grumpee and His Lost Boys**_ _. It will focus on DiNozzo's recovery and his little boy. It will also deal with how_ _the_ _Sciuto-Moores and the McGees family are handling the tragedy. Lastly, it will deal with the stress this tragedy has put on Gibbs. This stress will affect both Gibb's health and it will bring back many sad memories for him and give him doubts if he can continue to help DiNozzo and his little boy…_

 _Author's Comments_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** In my Grumpee stories, I will always have Gibbs' age closer to Mark Harmon's true age. It is the only way I can make this story work. No matter how much I love Gibbs I think he is too old to be out in the field. I also don't want Tony to be too old to work for NCIS while Gibbs is retired. In my Grumpee series world Tony married Zoe and they had two children together._

 _*** I am a very big…big fan of NCIS and I did see the last episode of Season 13. It broke my heart to see very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo leave…especially now that we got to meet his precious little girl Tali. It may be just me but I would have loved to see more of Tali and her interaction with her Daddy Tony, Grandpa Gibbs, Grandpa Senior and the rest of the group. I know Michael Weatherly said that he thought he had taken his character Tony as far as he could take him but I personally strongly disagree with him because he could have stayed and showed the parent side of him. I also understand that Tony does have a very dangerous job and I do understand his willingness to give it up so he can be there for his precious little daughter. I still think they could have worked some storyline to keep him there. Now with that being said, I do wish Michael Weatherly all the best in his new adventure 'Bull'. I believe he is a very talented actor and deserves to finally be the lead in his own show…_

 _**** Disclaimer – I am in no way an expert in the medical field. Most of the medical stuff I have looked up on the Internet or some of it is from experience._

 _ **Martin Luther King Jr. - Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative**_ _ **altruism**_ _ **or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.**_

 _ **Author's Comments…**_

 _ **CHAPTER 1 – Tony's Awakening**_

 _ **This is where I left off in my last (Grumpee and His Lost Boys) story…**_

 _(Gibbs enters Tony's hospital room, he hands the tissues to his grandson and walks toward the table to place the bag and drinks on it. As he begins to open the bag he hears his grandson tell his daddy not to cry. Gibbs stops what he is doing and looks at his grandson who is now wiping his daddy's face. Gibbs walks over to his grandson. He looks at him and then looks at the boy's father. Tears are falling down the adult Tony's face. He looks back at the little boy, "Tony…what happen? Why is your daddy crying?"_

 _"Daddy…crying because mommy and Abby…gone."_

 _Gibbs looks at Tony. He reaches out to him and calls his name._

 _Tony looks up at him. Gibbs watches as Tony struggles to talk. After a few seconds Tony finally says, "Zo…ee…(sobbing) Abby gone.")_

Gibbs sits down on the side of the hospital bed and pulls the grieving man into his arms. Tony grabs onto Gibbs' shoulders as if his very life depends on it. As Gibbs comforts his friend he couldn't help but notice his grandson. The little boy looks like he is both scared and on the verge of tears. Gibbs motions for the little boy to come to him. When his grandson is within a foot of him, he pulls the child into the embrace so he can comfort both the father and son at the same time.

As Gibbs holds onto the two, he realizes he should notify someone that DiNozzo has his memory back but he wasn't sure if he had the strength to do it. At the moment, he is just too damn emotional and tired to say or do anything. Ever since the accident, he had been under a lot of stress and he was doing everything he can to keep himself together for Tony, his grandson and the others' sake….

As Gibbs continues to hold onto the father and son, he could hear his little grandson trying to reassure his daddy that everything is going to be okay. It tears him apart that it is the little boy who is doing a much better job at comforting his daddy than he was. Gibbs fights back the tears because he could never be more proud of that child than he is at this moment. Even after all that has happen to little Tony, he wants nothing more then to help his daddy. The grandfather reaches out and rubs his grandson's head. The little boy looks at him. Gibbs smiles as the little boy smiles back at him.

Gibbs finally reaches for nurse's call button and presses it. Seconds later, he hears the nurse's voice, "Gibbs…is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes…Audrey can you please let Smith know DiNozzo is awake and he has he memory back."

For a few seconds there was nothing but silence. Finally he hears, "Gibbs…that's great news and I will let the doctor know immediately. He is in the building and should be there in a little while."

Ten minutes later, Doctor Smith walks into the room. The doctor smiles when he sees his patients sitting up in bed and quietly talking with his little boy. Smith looks at Gibbs. Gibbs immediately picks up his grandson and steps back to allow the doctor room so he can examine his patient.

When Smith is finished examining his patient he could tell DiNozzo was exhausted. He turns his attention to the small child. He asks the little boy if he would stay with his daddy and keep him company while he talks with his grandfather for a few seconds. The little boy nods his head as Gibbs places the little boy back on the bed next to his daddy.

Smith signals Gibbs to follow him out in the hallway. Once there, the doctor looks back into the room. He wants to make sure his patient is distracted and not trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Smith smiles when he sees his half awake patient solely focused on his little boy. Now that the doctor is satisfied he turns his attention to Gibbs.

"Gibbs…I know from all those conversations we have had over these passed weeks…you know what it is like to have amnesia and then have your memory return. So…I will make this short. The good news…from the conversation I had with him is that most of his memories has return. There are some areas that are still a little fuzzy but I am very optimistic they will return in time. That being said, DiNozzo has a lot going on right now. His body is still healing but now that his memory has return he is going to have to deal with the fact that his wife and daughter are gone."

Gibbs didn't say a word because he was thinking the very same thing. He was worried about DiNozzo but he was more worried about DiNozzo's little boy. The child had already been through enough with the death of his mother and sister. Now the little boy was going to have to relive the loss of his mother and sister again through his daddy's eyes. Gibbs didn't think his grandson deserves this. He turns his attention to the little boy who was now talking to his now semiconscious daddy.

After the two men were finished talking, Gibbs heads back into the hospital room. He stops at the doorway for a few seconds' and watches his grandson stare at his daddy who is sleeping. Gibbs wonders what the little boy could possibly be thinking at this very moment.

Before he can say anything, his stomach reminds him that his grandson and he hadn't eaten yet. He walks over to the bed and picks his little grandson up. He carries the little boy to couch and places a small table in front of the boy. He grabs the almost forgotten bag of food and opens it. He reaches in and pulls out one of the styrofoam food containers. He opens the container and places in front of the little boy. The little boy stares at the food but doesn't touch it.

Gibbs stares at the little boy for a few seconds before he asks; "Little man…is there something wrong with the food?

The little boy continues to stare at the container. Gibbs wonders if his grandson hears him or not. Right after the accident Gibbs had talked with little Tony's pediatrician. The doctor thought it was best to postpone the surgery until the little boy was in a better frame of mind. Gibbs now wonders if they were wrong for waiting. He is worried the little boy's hearing may have gotten worst and is now permanently damage because of it. Last week he took him to see his pediatrician. The surgery is schedule a little over a week from now.

Gibbs repeats his words but a little louder this time, "What's wrong little buddy? I got you your favorites…a hamburger, fries and Macaroni with cheese. I…know it's a little cold. I can go heat the food up or maybe get you something else if you like?"

The little boy finally looks at his grandfather and says, "Grump…ee my food…kay. I…I sad be…because my daddy sad."

Gibbs places a straw in the juice drink and pushes it in front of the little boy.

The child picks up his drink and looks at his grandfather, "Grump…ee what…what can we…do to help my daddy be happy again? He is…is sad because mommy and sissy are in heaven."

Gibbs smiles at the little boy before he says, "Yes…your daddy is sad but…you got to remember he just got his memory back. To him…your mommy and sissy just died. He is going to need some grieving time just like we had."

A lone tear falls down the little boy's cheek as he whispers, "I…still sad for my mommy and sissy."

Gibbs reaches down and lifts the little boy's chin so they could make eye contact. As he wipes the tear from the little boy's cheek he says, "I am sad too…little one. I am too…"

For a few seconds the little boy didn't say a word. Finally he says, "I know that…Grumpee… but I…I just want to know what we can do to help my daddy be happy again? I miss my daddy's smile. I miss your smile, Aunt Abby, Uncle Timmy's and everyone else smile."

"We smile."

"No…you all have sad smiles. Everybody has sad smiles when they look at me or my daddy. I…I want real smiles. I want us all to be happy again."

When he hears the words, Gibbs couldn't help but smile and this time it was a very real smile. Leave it up to his young grandson to say the right things. Gibbs sits down and grabs his container of food. Before he takes a bite, he says, "Little man…I miss your real smile too. And…to answer your question, I think we should just keep doing what we are doing. Let your daddy know that we are here for him and that we love him. I think if we keep reminding him he will not feel alone and it will help him a lot."

Little Tony seems to be happy at what his grandfather had just said. He takes a sip of his drink and begins eating his cold hamburger.

After they were finished eating, Gibbs calls Abby to tell her the good news. He asked her to call Mary and the others to let them know the good news.

For the rest of the evening the grandfather and grandson watched TV until the little boy finally falls asleep. Gibbs stands up and covers the little boy with a blanket. He can't sleep so he heads to the nurses station to get himself a cup of coffee and maybe today's newspaper that he hasn't read yet.

It was around midnight when Gibbs hears noises and sees movement coming from Tony's bed. He stands up and moves closer.

At the moment Tony is trapped in a nightmare…

 _He is confused when he finds himself behind the steering wheel of his moving car. He doesn't remember getting into the car or even starting it up. He looks toward the passenger seat and sees his beautiful wife Zoe. She is smiling at him and he returns the smile. Seconds later he sees fear in her dark brown eyes. He turns to see what she is looking at; he can see a car heading toward them but it's too late for him to react…_

 _There is impact and everything goes black for a few seconds. The next thing he hears is the car horn. As soon as he opens his eyes he looks toward his wife. He can tell immediately she is gone. He fights back the tears as he calls to her. He then remembers his daughter was in the car with them. He tries to turn around to see if she is okay but he hurts too much. He calls out to her but there is no answer. As he loses consciousness he can hear someone calling to him as he passes out._

Back to the present…

Gibbs can tell Tony is having a nightmare. He decides to wake him up before he wakes his little boy. "Tony…Tony…can you hear me? Come on DiNozzo…You need to wake up. You're having a bad dream. Come on…son…you need to wake up…"

As Tony lies there, he can hear someone calling out to him. He finally recognizes the voice and opens his eyes. At first, he is having trouble seeing because the room is dimly lit. After a few seconds he finally is able to the silhouette figure of Gibbs. He can hear Gibbs talking to him in a calm voice but he ignores the older man. His green eyes search the room. He is hoping it is just a bad nightmare and that his beloved Zoe and little Abby are still alive. When he don't see his girls, he realizes they are both gone and he will never see them again. Tears begin to fall down his cheeks as the memories of the accident flood his mind.

Gibbs can see the turmoil that is going through the green eyes. He can tell at the moment Tony is in a state of confusion. He wants to help him so he reminds him of where he is, "Tony…listen to me. You are in a hospital. You were in an accident. Do you remember?"

Tony turns his attention to Gibbs but instead of answering him he just stares.

Gibbs repeats himself because he was not sure if Tony really hears him or not.

Tony did hear him but at the moment he didn't want to talk with anyone…especially Gibbs. He see flashes of his two girls and know they are both gone. He blames himself for it. He wants nothing but to be with them. He tries to roll over onto his side so he wouldn't have to face or talk with Gibbs but he can feel pain shoot throughout his body with the movement. Once the pain subsides a little, he looks toward the darken night window. He can see lights coming from another section of the hospital building. He can also see Gibbs and his reflection. He looks at Gibbs' reflection and can see only a stone face. He turns attention toward his own reflection. He looks at his face and sees the fading bruises. It reminds him what he has been through and what he has lost. He starts crying as he buries his face into the pillow. He feels someone touch his shoulder but he pushes it away.

Gibbs takes a step back and is not surprised at Tony's reaction. More then anyone he does understand what DiNozzo is going through and can't blame him for the way he is acting. He decides to give him a few seconds.

Gibbs turns his attention to the sleeping little boy on the couch. He moves a little closer to the child and is glad to see his grandson is still asleep. He studies the child's face and sees so much of Tony features in this little boy. He couldn't help but smile because Zoe always said her little boy was a miniature doppelganger of his father.

Gibbs turns his attention back to the boy's father. He moves just a little closer to the bed so he can talk without waking the child up. He bends down and whispers, "Tony…listen to me. You know better then anyone that I know what you're going through. You can't shut down like this…you have your little boy to think about. He is going to need you more than ever now."

Even though Tony hears the words he doesn't look at Gibbs. At the moment he only wishes he were dead and wants nothing more then to be left alone. Finally he whispers, "Gibbs…please leave me alone. My son…(sob)…would be much better without me."

Gibbs could barely make out what Tony had said but he did hear the words. He knows he has to convince his friend that he is wrong, "No Tony…don't you ever say that. Your son loves you and needs you more than any one else."

Tony tries to wipe the tears from his eyes. This time he does turns and looks at Gibbs. He asks, "How can you say that…(sob)…it was me who was driving the car? I…I was the one who killed my girls. I killed…(sobbing)…my…(sob)…Zoe. I killed my…my precious little girl. OH GOD…if my little boy had been in that car…I would have killed him too. Gibbs…I should have died…(sob)…not them."

Gibbs is not surprised at DiNozzo's words. The ex-marine knows more than anyone what head trauma could do to a person and he needs to make sure the grieving man knows the truth, "DiNozzo…Tony…listen to me…you didn't cause the accident. It was the other driver. The bastard was drunk and ran a red light before he hit your car. You are in no way responsible for what happen that day."

Tony hears Gibbs' words and asks, "What became of him?"

"He died shortly after he arrived at the hospital."

DiNozzo didn't say anything as more tears flow down his cheeks.

Gibbs sits down onto the side of the bed and gathers the grieving man into his arms and tries to comfort him as best as he could. DiNozzo buries his face into Gibb's chest. At the moment neither of the men notices that they are being watched. Gibbs suddenly feels something touch his leg. He looks down and sees his little grandson. Little Tony looks like he is on the verge of tears. The little boy moves closer to the bedrail before he says, "Daddy…please don't cry…Daddy. You…you are going to be okay. Grumpee and me are here. We…we love you. We take care of you."

As soon as Tony hears his son's voice he pushes himself away from Gibbs. He quickly begins using that back of his hand to wipe the tears from his face. He didn't want his little boy seeing him crying. He tries to smiles as his trembling hand reaches out to touch his little boy face, "I love you too. Your daddy is going to okay…now…that you are here…(sob)…with me."

Tony's tears would not stop. He wipes them again before he says, "I…I'm sorry little man…I didn't want to cry in front of you. I just miss…mommy and Abby …(sob)…so much. It is breaking my heart that they are gone."

The little boy looks at daddy but then looks at the night table. He sees the tissues his Grumpee had left earlier. He takes some of them and hands them to his daddy, "You use these. Grump…ee says it is okay to cry. Daddy…I miss my mommy and Sissy too."

The father takes the tissues from his son's hand and begins to wipe the tears from his face. He smiles at the little boy and says, "I know you do…I know."

As Gibbs is watching his grandson, he notices the little boy scoots a little back from his father. The expression on the little boy's face changes from sadness to what looked more like anger. He wonders what that is about and he didn't have long to find out why.

Seconds later, the little boy raises his voice as he shouts at his father, "Daddy…how cOULD you forgot me? I…I…YOUR LITTLE BOY! You scares me so much you made me crY. Daddy…DOn't…don't you ever…ever do that again." His then lowers his voice to almost a whisper before he says, "I your little boy."

At first the father didn't know what to say and looks at Gibbs for help. The older man shrugs his shoulders and acts like he doesn't have an answer. Tony looks back at his little boy and signals the now crying child to come closer. The little boy climbs unto his father's lap. The father puts his arms around his little boy and tells his little boy how sorry he is for forgotten him and promises that he will never ever do that again. He takes one of the tissues and uses it to wipe his little boy's wet face.

Gibbs smiles and thinks it time for the father and son have some private alone time together. He tells his grandson that he is going to get some coffee and to take care of his daddy while his is gone.

For the next fifteen minutes Gibbs spends his time drinking coffee and watching the news in the waiting room. When he finishes with his coffee he heads back to Tony's room. He stops short from entering the room when he hears his grandson talking to one of the nurses. He smiles when his grandson tells the nurse he needs to know how his daddy is doing so he can tell his Grumpee. His Grumpee left him in charge.

The nurse tells the little boy not to worry because everything is okay with his daddy. The little boy gives his daddy the thumbs up. Gibbs couldn't help but laugh to himself.

When the nurse is finished she heads for the door and is not surprised to see Gibbs standing just outside the room. Gibbs smiles at her and ask how DiNozzo is. She tells him that Smith plans to run a few test on him in the morning. The tests should take most of the morning and she suggests that it would be a good time for him and his grandson to go home and not come back until around noon. Gibbs smiles and tells her he will take her advice.

Early the next morning, Gibbs and his grandson enter the house. Gibbs drops his keys and mail onto the table in the hallway. As he does, he disturbs the dust that has built up. He looks down at his grandson who is now swiping at the dust and trying to keep it away from his face. Gibbs smiles, "I guess it's time we get someone in here to clean up the place. What do you think little man?"

The little boy looks puzzled.

Gibbs realizes his grandson didn't hear him so he repeats himself just a little louder.

Little Tony finally understands him. He makes a face as he holds his right hand over his nose and mouth. He uses his left hand to swat at the dust. He yells, "Grump…ee it's…it's too dusty in here. My noses it…chees. You…(cough)…need to clean your house before my daddy comes…(cough)…here."

Gibbs couldn't keep the grin of his face because of the little boy's overacting and the fake coughing. He picks his grandson up and laughs, "I tell you what little man…why don't we both clean ourselves up first? When we are finished I will take you to the diner so we can get something to eat? Once we are finished I will call Mrs. Sally next door and see if her daughter can come by and clean the place for us. How does that sound?"

Little Tony smiles, "Sounds good."

Around noon, the two arrived back at that hospital. DiNozzo is back in his room watching the news. The father immediately smiles when he sees his little boy. Gibbs sits the little boy down next to his daddy and tells them both that he is going to get coffee. He wants to give the father and son some more alone time together. He makes his excuse to go get himself some coffee.

As Gibbs is walking back toward DiNozzo's room he spots Smith. The doctor tells him they did run a CT scan on DiNozzo's brain and everything looks fine. They also took x-rays on the rest of his injuries and the bones are healing nicely. Smith believes his patient should be able to make a full recovery and he doesn't see any reason why his patient shouldn't be able to leave in another few days or so. Lastly he also tells Gibbs he plans to have a grievance counselor stop by sometime today and talk with DiNozzo. The counselor should be able to recommend a grief therapist and some support group once Tony leaves the hospital. Lastly before the doctor leaves, he hand Gibbs a list of places he can call for a home care nurse to help DiNozzo get around once he leaves the hospital.

When Gibbs returns to Tony's room, he finds a very heavy-eyed father sitting up in the bed holding a sleeping child against his chest. The older man could tell it wouldn't be long before DiNozzo himself would join his son for a nap. As Gibbs reaches to take the little boy from his father's arms Tony stops him. The exhausted father looks at his little boy and says, "No…just leave him be. He's…(yawn)…fine where he is. It…it feels nice to have him so close to me. I…I just wish my…"

Tony couldn't finish what he really wants to say instead he looks up at Gibbs. His half closed eyes were watering as he says, "Smith wants me to see a grieving counselor. I know…I need to see one but I…I am not sure if I am ready to talk to a stranger about my…my girls."

"Tony…maybe it will be good for you if you do talk about them."

DiNozzo shook his head before he says; "You once told me they tried to get you to talk with someone after your girls died and if I remember it correctly you told me it didn't help you at all. Why would you think it would work for me?"

Gibbs slightly smiles as he remembers. It was one of those rare occasions when he did all the talking and DiNozzo just listen. It was shortly after Tony's little Abby was born. The new dad and the new grandfather went out to celebrate. After a few drinks he remembers he was in one of those sentimental moods and began talking to DiNozzo about his Shannon and Kelly. He also remembers telling Tony about everything he had gone through after their deaths and how he handled it. He now regrets what he had said. He never thought DiNozzo would someday use those words against him. All he could say was, "You…are not me."

Tony could tell Gibbs didn't want to talk about it so he decides to change the subject. "How has my little man handle…their deaths?"

"He…had his good and bad days. I did have to postpone his surgery."

Tony eyes widen, "Surgery? What surgery?"

Gibbs wasn't surprised Tony didn't remember his son's surgery. The older man begins to explain to his friend, "Before the accident your little guy was having a lot of ear infections and it was affecting his hearing. Zoe took him to see his pediatrician. At first, his pediatrician tried medications to see if it would help but it didn't. Your son's pediatrician told Zoe it was time for your son to have tubes put in his ears. Your son's surgery was scheduled but then the accident happen. There was so much going on and your little boy was having such a hard time. His pediatrician thought it was best to postpone the surgery for another day. Little Tony's hearing was getting worst so last week I took him to see his pediatrician. He scheduled your son's surgery for next week.

Tony looks down at his little sleeping boy and kisses him on the forehead. All he could think about right now was his poor little boy sick and without his family. He looks up at Gibbs, "Gibbs…I want to thank you for all you've done…(yawn)…for my little boy. I am so glad you were here for him. I…I…(yawn)…am so tired. I miss my girls...so much. My mind keeps playing that accident over and over in my head. I…(yawn)…I just can't seem to get rid of the images…"

Tony stops talking as he slowly and gently begins to rub his little boy's back. Gibbs watches and within a few seconds the father closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep. Gibbs gently takes the sleeping little boy from the father and lays the child down on the couch. He smiles as he covers the little boy. He bends down and kisses the little boy on the forehead…

It was a couple of hours later, when Tony wakes up. Tony smiles when he sees his little boy playing a board game with Gibbs. He mentions he is hungry and Gibbs tells him that he had already order their food and it should be here any minute. Tony notices his little boy giggling and then the child looks at his grandfather. Tony could tell the two were keeping some kind of secret between them. He asks Gibbs about it but the grandfather just grins and tells him he doesn't know what he is talking about.

It was almost fifteen minutes later when the food finally arrives. Tony smiles when he sees Gibbs had order him his favorite pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese pizza. He looks at Gibbs and thanks him.

The older man smiles, "DiNozzo…I know you might be sick of the hospital food. So…I thought you would like a nice change."

Tony immediately picks up a piece of his favorite food and takes a bite. He continues to enjoy the pizza until he picks up the third piece. He starts getting flashes of his wife and daughter. He quickly realizes he shouldn't be enjoying himself. He puts the piece down and just stares at it.

Gibbs notices immediately, "Tony…are you okay?"

Tony looks at Gibbs, "I'm sorry Gibbs…I guess…I'm not ready for pizza. My stomach feels a little queasy and I afraid if I eat anymore I am going to get sick."

"Would you like me to order you something else?"

"No…I'll just wait until my stomach settlings a little. I guess…for now I will stick with the hospital food for just a little while longer."

After Gibbs and little Tony were finished eating, the little boy insists that the adults play a game of _Chutes and Ladders_ with him. Gibbs couldn't keep the smile off his face when Tony throws the dice and lands on the longest chute. Without looking up, the father makes a funny face and yells whee…whee as his blue token slides down the chute. Seconds later, in his mind he can hear both his little boy and girl giggling.

 _He hears little Tony, "Daddy…Daddy…make that funny sound…again_ _heh, heh!"_

 _He then hears little Abby, "Daddy…it's your…ahahah…your turn."_

Without looking up Tony says, "You two think it so funny to see your…da…daddy…." The father stops when he realizes he couldn't have heard both of his children. His little girl was gone and he will never see her again.

Gibbs knows immediately the father is having one of those flashbacks he used to get shortly after his memory started returning to him. He watches and waits as the father continues to stare at the game.

Tony's stare is finally broken when he hears his little boy yell, "Grump…ee it…it your turn."

He watches as Gibbs moves the green token. They continue to play the game for another hour. After the game they watch an old movie.

Several hours later, the room is dimly lit and quiet. Both Tony and his son were asleep. Gibbs couldn't sleep because his chest was hurting him a little. He rubs it and can feel the scars from his old injury when he worked at NCIS. Lately the chest pain seems to come and go. He tries to get his mind off of it so he stares out the window at the night sky. He keeps thinking about DiNozzo. It almost broke his heart when he remembers the look on Tony's face the moment he realized his little girl was no longer with them. Gibbs knows that look well, from his own experience. He also knows this will not be the last time it happens.

Gibbs thoughts turn to Tony mentioning his doctor wants him to see a grievance counselor. He remembers his commanding officer ordering him to do the same thing. Back then; he thought seeing the chaplain/counselor was nothing but a waste of time…mostly his. He remembers he was order to meet with the chaplain several times but always felt the sessions were just useless. If he had not been ordered he would never had gone. So for a while, he decided to play their game just to shut everyone up. When his service time was up he quit the marines and had nothing but revenge in his heart. He found Pedro Hernandez and did what he needed to do. After that, he had nothing left in his heart. For weeks he drank and only had thoughts of joining his wife and daughter in the hereafter. On the day he had gone down to the beach to end his life he couldn't do it because he knew Shannon would have been ashamed of him. Once he realizes that, he made the decision he would do something with his life and that was when he sought out Mike Franks. It was a decision he never regretted.

Gibbs thoughts are interrupted when he hears a noise coming from the hallway. He turns toward the noise and sees a maintenance woman walking by pushing one of those floor scrubbers. Once she passes by the room Gibbs turns his attention back to window and the night sky. He now feels tired. He yawns as he walks toward the small visitor's couch. He sits down and within seconds he is asleep.

It was in the early morning hours when Gibbs opens his eyes. He felt he was being watched and was not surprise to see a pair of small green eyes staring at him. Little Tony was still lying against his daddy's chest. The father's arm was protectively against the little boy's chest. Little Tony whispers, "Help…Grump…ee…I got to go pee."

Gibbs couldn't help but grin just a little at the little boys' predicament. He knows the little boy is trying to be careful not to wake up his daddy. The grandfather stands up so he can free his grandson of his dilemma. He bends down and gently moves the sleeping man's arm away from the little boy. Seconds later, he gently lifts the little boy and places him on the floor. Little Tony grabs his crotch area so he doesn't pee of the floor. Gibbs smiles as the little boy hurries off to the bathroom to relieve himself.

While Gibbs is waiting for his grandson outside the bathroom, nurse Audrey walks into the room. She greets him and asks how things went last night. Before Gibbs could answer her, little Tony opens the door to the bathroom. He looks up at his grandfather, "Grump…ee…I hungry. Can we go get something to eat?"

Gibbs smiles at his grandson and tells him to give him a second. He turns his attention back to the nurse and tells her everything went okay.

Audrey looks at her patient and can tell he is still sound asleep. She tells Gibbs she will be back shortly to take Tony's vitals.

After she is gone, Gibbs picks his grandson up. He smiles as he asks, "Little man…what would you like for breakfast?"

The little boy whispers so not to wake up his daddy, "Pancakes…I want choc…late pancakes with choc…late milk."

Gibbs smiles, "Okay…chocolate pancakes and chocolate milk it is. Since the doctor is going to be running a lot of test on your daddy this morning why don't we go to our favorite diner? Maybe Miss Elaine will make her special chocolate pancakes for us. How does that sound?"

The little boy smiles with joy as he asks, "Grump…ee...can…can…we bring daddy some choc…late pancakes?"

Gibbs looks toward the sleeping man; "No…I don't think it would be a good idea. The pancakes would be too cold by the time we bring them back here. I don't think your daddy would like to eat cold pancakes…do you? I think…we should just wait until your daddy leaves the hospital and all three of us can then go and have breakfast together at the diner? How does that sound…little man?"

The little boy smiles and nods his head. Gibbs laughs as he takes his grandson back into the bathroom so the two of them can freshen up before they leave. When they are finished little Tony runs to his daddy's bed. He kisses his sleeping daddy on the cheek and whispers into his father's ear that they will be back later.

Four hours later, refreshed, clean clothes and with their stomach full, the grandfather and grandson return to the hospital. They find Tony awake and sitting up in the bed. Gibbs could tell his friend was deep in thought when he didn't even notice them entering the room.

Seconds later, it was the sound of little Tony's voice calling to his daddy that made Tony look up. He smiles at his son as the little boy carefully climbs into his arms. The little boy begins to tell his daddy that Miss Elaine says hi and then he starts telling his daddy all about the breakfast they ate at the diner.

Gibbs laughs as he interrupts the two. He tells them he has to make a few phone calls and will be back later. Little Tony waves to him as he leaves the room.

When Gibbs enters the hallway he asks one of the nurses if he could use an empty conference room to make some phone calls. She points to the door and tells him he can use that room. As Gibbs pushes the numbers on his cell phone, he knows Tony is not in the best frame of mind to handle hiring a homecare nurse and the paperwork that goes with it. Gibbs plans to at lease have Tony help with the interview while he takes care of the rest of it.

The first two healthcare agencies put him on hold. Gibbs being impatient didn't like being put on hold so he hangs up. He tries the third agency and was able to reach someone. The man's name is David Sulewski and he tells Gibbs that he might have the perfect person for the patient. He asks Gibbs to send him his email address he will email him information on the agency and the résumé of the person he thought would be a good fit for DiNozzo. Gibbs insists he meets the man in person. Sulewski tells him it's not a problem. He had planned to meet with him in person anyway but he just wanted to send the information to him first. Gibbs tells the man he can hand it to him when he gets there.

By the time Sulewski arrives Tony seems to be having trouble keeping his eyes open. He tells Gibbs he is just too tired and asks him if he handle the interview by himself. Gibbs nods his head and tells his grandson to stay with his daddy while he goes and talks with the man.

The two men had their meeting in the empty conference room. As soon as Sulewski sits down he hands Gibbs several pamphlets from his agency and several résumés. Sulewski points out one résumé in particular that he highly recommends. The name on the résumé belongs to a George Washington Lee. The man is in his mid thirties and an ex-navy combat corpsman. He served several tours of duty with the marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. It says after he left the service he had to get his certification if he wanted to stay in the medical field. He got a VA loan and went back to school. Once he was certified he worked as a paramedic for a couple of years before he decided to get into the homecare nursing. Sulewski smiles as he says, Lee is very smart, very hard working and he deeply cares for his patients.

As Gibbs looks over the paperwork he is very impressed by what he reads. He is especially impressed when he read Lee's comments at the bottom of the page. Lee writes he had seen a lot of his friends and buddies severely injured in the military. When he decided to leave the military he wanted to do something that would help severely injured people in their recovery. Lee also writes he likes to learn as much as he can about his patients. He believes the more he knows the better he will be able to help them.

Gibbs looks at Sulewski and tells him that he would like DiNozzo and himself to meet with Lee so they can make the final decision. Sulewski picks up his iPhone and calls Lee to set up the appointment for this afternoon. When he is finished he tells Gibbs Lee will be stopping by some time around three this afternoon to meet with them.

Gibbs enters DiNozzo's room and is not surprise to find the father wide-awake and talking quietly to his little boy. Gibbs smiles as he takes a step back into the hallway so he wouldn't disturb them. Earlier he had a sneaking suspicion that DiNozzo might have been faking his tiredness and this little scene only confirms it. Gibbs couldn't blame DiNozzo because the poor guy had gone through a lot….

It was almost three o'clock when George Washington Lee arrives for the interview. Lee is a very tall, muscular man who seems to have a friendly attitude. Gibbs invites him to sit down. Both Gibbs and Tony asked questions and Lee answers them with confidence. Once in a while little Tony who didn't want to be left out would ask a question. Both Gibbs and Tony would grin when the man answers the little boy's questions.

When the interview was over Gibbs asks Lee if he could step out in the hallway for a few minutes. When Gibbs calls him back, it was little Tony who tells him that he has the job. Lee smiles and thanks the little boy.

After Lee left, Gibbs turns to DiNozzo and asks, "Tony…I noticed you hesitated giving Lee my address as if you weren't sure if you were going to stay with me or not. I thought we had that settled? Are you thinking about going back to your house now?"

Without saying a word Tony just stares at the older man.

Gibbs continues talking, "Look…we've already talked about this. You know I don't have to tell you…you and your son will always be welcome in my house. If you stay at my place it will give you time to recuperate and think about your future. I can take care of your son so you won't have to worry about him."

"I know but…I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality."

Gibbs smiles, "Remember…family always first."

While the two men are talking, little Tony was sitting quietly on his Grumpee's lap. He didn't want go home. He whispers into his daddy's ear that he wants to stay at Grumpee's house.

Tony smiles and hugs his little boy.

He kisses his son on the head and he says, "Gibbs…I guess we will stay at your house for now.

"Good…you two can stay until you are ready to leave."

Tony smiles as he asks him a question, "Thanks…but what if I am never ready to go back to home? What if I can't…"

Before Tony could finish his question, a nurse walks into the room to take his vitals and give him his medicine.

As the nurse places the thermometer into DiNozzo's mouth Gibbs could tell their conversation was over for now. He excuses himself so he can make a few phone calls. He calls McGee and then Burt to see if they could help him make his house ready for his wheelchair bound guest. He then calls Abby to see if she could take little Tony to the hospital to visit his daddy. She tells him she was more then willing. Lastly he calls a friend of his who works at a hardware store and orders all the wood and nails he was going to need.

The next day he drops his grandson off at Auntie Abby's house. Before he leaves Abby asks him for a special favor from him. He promised he would take care of it for her.

By the time he arrives at his house, McGee and Burt are already waiting for him. Gibbs hands each man a cup of hot coffee and then goes over the plans for the ramp. For the next three hours the three men worked steadily until the ramp was finally finished. Burt left to pick up his children at the nursery school while McGee and Gibbs head to the DiNozzo house to pick up a few of things Tony was going to need.

When they arrived at the DiNozzo's house, Gibbs couldn't help notice how immaculate the front yard looks. He had planned to come by and take care of the yard himself but he never seem to have the time to do it.

McGee notices the older man's puzzled look. The younger man smiles and says, "I had my lawn guy come by here last week to take care of Tony's lawn. I know how much pride Zoe and Tony had in their yards. It kind of funny in a way…who would have ever guess Tony like working in the yard and getting dirty?"

Gibbs smiles, "Tim…I am pretty sure Tony will appreciate everything you have done for him."

As the two men enter the house it was very unsettling to the both of them. This place had always been very noisy and full of kids laughing especially when DiNozzo was home. Zoe once jokingly told Gibbs she was tired of answering the door when her man-child husband was home. Most of the time it was the neighborhood kids asking her if her husband Tony could come out and play with them.

Gibbs finally looks at McGee and says, "Let's get this over with."

Gibbs hands McGee a list of things DiNozzo is going to need. He asks him to collect and pack them up. As McGee heads toward the master bedroom, Gibbs turns his attention to another room. He had made a promise to Abby but he was not sure he was strong enough to keep it. Before he enters the room he stops at the doorway. The last time he was in this room he had brought a special gift to his granddaughter. He can still remember that day and hear the giggles coming from two little girls…

 _He had stopped at the door and smiles as he watches he granddaughters little Abby and DeeDee. The two little girls were jumping on the bed in their little fairy dresses. The moment they saw him they ran to him and pulled him toward the bed. They wanted him to jump on the bed with them._

 _He laughs, "NO! Your mother would kill me if I broke your bed."_

 _The little girls both yell in unison, "Please Grandpa. PLEEEEZE."_

 _Gibbs looks at the small bed. For a brief second he was tempted to do it just for his granddaughters but he knew he would probably end up break his neck trying it. He looks at the little girls and knew they were not going to give up so he decides to distract them with something else. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small wrapped box and hands it to little Abby._

His mind returns to the present. He takes a deep breath as he enters the room…

I will try and post a chapter at least once a week. I hope you enjoy.


	2. CHAPTER 2 –Secrets

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _ **CHAPTER 2 –Secrets**_

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…I was able to finish it sooner so I am posting it. I hope you enjoy._

 _(Gibbs hands McGee a list of things DiNozzo is going to need. He asks him to collect and pack them up. As McGee heads toward the master bedroom, Gibbs turns his attention to another room. He had made a promise to Abby but he was not sure he was strong enough to keep it. Before he enters the room he stops at the doorway. The last time he was in this room he had brought a special gift to his granddaughter. He can still remember that day and hear the giggles coming from two little girls…_

 _He had stopped at the door and smiles as he watches he granddaughters little Abby and DeeDee. The two little girls were jumping on the bed in their little fairy dresses. The moment they saw him they ran to him and pulled him toward the bed. They wanted him to jump on the bed with them._

 _He laughs, "NO! Your mother would kill me if I broke your bed."_

 _The little girls both yell in unison, "Please Grandpa. PLEEEEZE."_

 _Gibbs looks at the small bed. For a brief second he was tempted to do it just for his granddaughters but he knew he would probably end up breaking his neck trying it. He looks at the little girls and knew they were not going to give up so he decides to distract them with something else. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small wrapped box and hands it to little Abby._

 _His mind returns to the present. He takes a deep breath as he enters the room…)_

Gibbs immediately spots the promise he had made to Abby. It is a large white dollhouse that sat in the corner of little Abby's room. His granddaughter had always loved his house. She told him once that she would like to have a house like his. It was her remark that gave him the idea of what he could make her for her next birthday. He used the diagram for his own house to build it. It took him a while just to figure out how to reduce the size but he managed to do it. He made the dollhouse a little bit bigger than the normal size dollhouse. He made it in four removable sections the basement, the first and second floor and the attic. He made it that way so it would be easy to move when needed. Today he was so glad he did because there was no way McGee and he would have been able to move it. It was pretty heavy and awkward to lift.

 _ **Abby's Secrets…**_

Since the accident, Abby has been keeping a secret from Gibbs because she didn't want to burden him with anything. She knew he had enough to worry about. She even made her husband Burt pinky swear not to say anything to Gibbs or any of the others about what was going on in their house…

Immediately after the accident, Abby and Burt had to take their daughter DeeDee to see a grievance therapist because she was handedly the death of her best friend very well. The little girl seems to have shut down and only talk when someone speaks to her. At nights she has reoccurring nightmares of herself, instead of her mommy, running toward the accident. Each time she looks in the front seat of the car she can see her Aunt Zoe and Uncle Tony. They both are bloody and looked dead. As she looks into the back seat she can see her best friend little Abby. She screams as loud as she could for her best friend to wake up but nothing happens. Seconds later she wakes up to find herself in her mother's arms.

Abby tries to comfort her daughter but it doesn't seem to be working. Seconds later, Burt walks into the room with a pill and a glass of water. He hands it to Abby. The mother whispers to her daughter as she hands her the pill. Once the little girl has taken the medicine she drinks the glass of water. Abby holds her daughter in her arms until the little girl falls into deep sleep.

Burt watches from the doorway. He is worried about his daughter but he is also worried about his wife. He loves his wife but he knows she is trying to be strong for the family but inside he knows she is falling apart right before he eyes and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He watches for a few seconds longer before he decides to go check on their little boy. He knows for the rest of the night his bed will be minus one person. He decides he will sleep on the couch tonight.

Abby removes her arm from her sleeping child. She covers DeeDee and hopes the medicine will let her little girl get some much needed sleep. The mother bends down and kisses her daughter on the forehead before curls up next to her child. Abby wipes the tears from her eyes before she closes them and hopes she can also get some sleep.

Abby knows she needs help but refuses to take it. She just can't seem to get the images of the crash out of her head. To everyone, she had put on a persona that she was fine and in control. Only her husband Burt knows the truth. He is there when she cries and he is there when she has her nightmares too. The nightmares had gotten so bad that Burt begs her to talk with someone. At first, Abby refuse too but it takes Burt threatening to call Gibbs before she agreed to talk with someone. So…she promises him she will talk with Sister Mary…

 _ **Abby's Secret From Gibbs End…**_

As Gibbs runs his hand over the structure, he remembers the conversation he had had earlier with Abby. She asked him if Tony would mind if her daughter could have little Abby's dollhouse. She mentions her daughter is going through some rough _(but she doesn't tell him how bad it is)._ She tells him she is hoping the dollhouse might cheer her little girl up. As he is leaving he tells her he would take care of it. Before he starts up the truck he calls DiNozzo. Tony without hesitation tells Gibbs DeeDee can have the dollhouse and anything else in the room that she might want.

Gibbs begins to carefully pack up the small pieces of furniture and places them gently inside the box. As he reaches for the next piece, he notices the two small porcelain dolls dress in blue and pink dresses. It reminds him when he told Zoe, Abby and Delilah his plans to build the dollhouse. All three of the mothers immediately wanted in on the birthday surprise. While he made the house and some of the furniture, the mother's planned to buy the rest of the furniture and the dolls to go with it. He grins when he remember the day Delilah found the two little four inch porcelain dolls that looked just like little Abby and DeeDee. The three mothers then got together to make matching clothes to go with the dolls. Gibbs can still remember little Abby and DeeDee jumping for joy when they saw the dollhouse and especially when they saw their very own lookalike dolls dressed in fairy dresses.

Gibbs slowly wraps the red fairy doll first and carefully places it into the box. He is okay until he picks up the blue fairy doll. As he begins to wrap the doll his hands begin to shake. He now sees flashes of his granddaughter Abby in the coffin. He tries to fight back the tears but it was a losing battle. His can now feel a sharp pain in his chest as he falls to his knees. Seconds pass the pain seems to be easing up a little. He stays on his knees until he feels someone touch his shoulder. He looks up and sees McGee. Gibbs slowly stands up and he wipes the tears from his cheeks. He really didn't want anyone to see him at his weakness. He had been trying his best to be the strong one but it wasn't working. He didn't say anything to McGee as he begins wrapping the rest of the stuff. McGee stands there for a few seconds before he heads back to Tony's room to finish packing his things.

Back at the DiNozzo's house, the truck is finally loaded and the two men are ready to leave. As Gibbs is shutting the tailgate, his cellphone rings. He answers it and is surprised that it's a call from little Tony's pediatrician. The receptionist explains to him that the doctor needs to push up the surgery to Wednesday for personal reason. If little Tony can't have his surgery on that day another doctor will have to do the surgery or they will have to postpone the surgery for a later date. Before Gibbs can say anything the woman reminds him postponing the surgery could cause further damage to the little boy's ears.

Gibbs already knew he doesn't want anyone else performing the surgery nor does he want it postponed again. He agrees to the surgery date. One problem, the surgery is going to be on the same day DiNozzo is to be released from the hospital.

When Gibbs is finished with the call he looks at McGee and explains the situation he is now in. He asks his friend if he could pick up DiNozzo on the day he is to be released from the hospital. McGee tells him not to worry he will gladly take care of it.

McGee follows the truck to Gibbs' house so they could unload all of DiNozzo's things. When they are finished they head over to Abby's house so they can setup the dollhouse. The house is empty because Abby wants it to be a surprise for her daughter. While they setup the dollhouse Abby is keeping little Tony and his dad company at the hospital. Burt takes his kids to zoo and then out to eat.

When Gibbs and McGee are finally finished setting up the dollhouse, McGee heads home. Gibbs heads to the hospital to relieve Abby. When Gibbs enters the hospital DiNozzo's room, he finds his friend alone. Tony tells Gibbs that Abby had taken his son down to the hospital cafeteria so she could get him something to eat.

Gibbs tells Tony that everything is ready for him at his house. He also tells the father about the change of date for his son's surgery and McGee will be the one who will be picking him up.

 _ **Abby's House…**_

Around three o'clock, Abby meets Burt and their kids in front of their house. She is both excited and a little nervous about the surprise that is waiting for their daughter DeeDee. She is worried that it might make things worst. She now wishes she had run this by her daughter's therapist first but it is too late to stop it.

While Burt carries their little boy in the house, Abby follows DeeDee to her room. She watches as her little girl opens the door and walks inside. She wishes she could see her daughter's face. She watches as her daughter walks slowly toward the dollhouse. The little girl runs her hand over it as if she doesn't believe it is there. DeeDee sees the dolls. She picks them up and turns and looks at her mother. She is on the verge of tears when she asks, "Is this for real? Is this really…really real?"

Abby's eyes are watering as she says, "Yes…"

The little girl looks back at the dollhouse. She holds the dolls tightly to her chest as she whispers, "Abs…I love you and miss you so much."

Late in the evening, Abby calls Gibbs and thanks him. She tells him her little girl was so pleased to see the dollhouse that she didn't want to go to bed. Both Abby and Gibbs knew the dollhouse would never replace its original owner but maybe it will help this little girl to heal somehow.

 _ **Wednesday…**_

It was mid morning, Gibbs is sitting in the hospital waiting for word when his grandson's surgery will be over. He puts the crossword puzzle down and looks at his watch. The surgery should have been over by now so he decides to go and find out what is taking so long. As he walks toward the door he almost bumps into one of the nurses. She smiles at him and tells him his grandson surgery is over and he is now in the recovery room. Everything went well and the doctor should be here in a few minutes to talk with him.

Meanwhile at another hospital on the other side of the city, McGee parks his SUV at the hospital's front entrance. He can see Tony and a male nurse waiting just inside the door. He steps out of his vehicle so he can open the hatch. He begins putting all of Tony's things he had accumulated during his stay at the hospital. While he is loading the SUV a male nurse helps Tony into the front passenger's seat. As soon as McGee gets behind the driver's seat, Tony asks McGee if he would mind stopping by the cemetery. He wants to see where his wife and child are buried. At first, McGee just nods but he is worried because he knows Tony is still in a lot of pain and the trip to the cemetery could be very uncomfortable for him. McGee asks him if he is sure he wants to go at this time. Tony just nods his head and never looks at him.

McGee finds the drive to the cemetery getting on his nerves. Each time he enters an intersection or gets too close to a car Tony would start yelling at him to watch out. If Tony didn't yell at him, he would brace himself as if waiting for an impact. After about the sixth time, McGee finally has had enough and pulls the SUV over. He tells Tony he understands and that he is sorry for what happen him and his family. He then tells Tony he is getting on his nerves and if he doesn't stop reacting to everything they will definitely get into a real accident.

Tony looks at McGee for a few seconds. He wants to argue but he knows his friend is right. Tony knows he is just being paranoid but he can't seem to help himself. Finally he says, "McGee…I am sorry I…"

McGee felt guilty for what he said. Finally he says, "It's…okay…Tony. I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Tony turns away and closes his eyes as he tries to calm himself down.

McGee takes a deep breath as he starts his SUV back up. He had expected Tony to argue with him more but is surprised when his friend doesn't.

For the next few miles it is quiet. Tony doesn't say a word until he notices a flower shop. He asks McGee if he would mind stopping and purchasing some flowers to put on both Zoe and little Abby's graves. McGee doesn't hesitate as he parks the vehicle. While McGee heads inside the flower shop, Tony stays inside the vehicle. His thoughts were lost in his memories of his wife and daughter…

Inside the store, McGee purchases two-dozen red and white roses. He then asks the florist if they might have any lilacs.

The woman smiles, "Yes…you are in luck. We just got some fresh ones in this morning. What color would you like? We have them in both purple and white."

He tells her it doesn't really matter.

She smiles, "Yes it does. The purple lilacs symbolize the first emotions of love and the white ones represent youthful innocence."

He smiles, "I…I will take a dozen of the white ones…please."

McGee could smell the strong fragrant of flowers as the florist wraps them up. He smiles because he knows little Abby would have loved them. As the florist hands him the flowers, McGee inhales the strong fragrance. His eyes water as he remembers it was something he and the little girl shared. They both love the smell of lilacs. McGee takes another whiff of the flowers. He remembers little Abby's last birthday; he had bought two lilac bushes and helped her to plant them in her backyard. Every time he came to visit them the little girl would drag him outside to see her lilacs and how they have grown. At the time he got a lot of ribbing from Tony about mess with his landscaping.

As McGee is paying the florist he notices a small stuffed animal that looks like a purple Loch Ness monster. He couldn't pass it up. He picks it up and tells the woman he wants to buy it too. She rings it up and hands it to him.

It didn't take them long to reach the cemetery. McGee drives his SUV down onto a narrow pave road until he reaches the section where Zoe and little Abby are buried. McGee points to where the graves are. Tony could tell they were fairly new graves but doesn't see any headstones. When Tony questioned the missing headstones, McGee explains to the grieving husband/father the headstones will not arrive for another week or two. He tells Tony that Mary and Gibbs had picked out the headstones and they are beautiful. He tries to describe them before he realizes his friend wasn't even listening to him anymore.

McGee steps out of the car and begins removing the folding motorize wheelchair from the back of the SUV. Once he has it setup, he helps Tony into it. Tony immediately takes off and heads toward the graves while McGee grabs the flowers and runs to catch up with him. Once at the gravesite McGee hands Tony the flowers and stuff serpent. He decides to give his friend some privacy. Before he heads back to the car he tells Tony to let him know when he is ready to leave.

For the first five minutes, Tony just sits quietly staring at the graves. In his mind he had hope this was all a very bad nightmare but seeing his wife and daughter's graves reminds him it is real. He takes a deep breath as he places the flowers onto the two graves but still holds until the small stuff serpent. He looks at his wife's grave and whispers, "Zoe…(sob)…I…I am so sorry. I miss you so much."

Tony then gently places the small stuff serpent on his daughter's grave. He stares at it for a few seconds before he says, "My precious little Abby...my sweet…sweet precious little girl I…I am so sorry…I am so sorry. This shouldn't of happen to you or your mom. It…it should have been…(sob)…me instead of you two." His starts to tremble and he can't hold back the flood of tears.

McGee was trying his best not to eavesdrop on Tony's private moments but he couldn't help himself. He just couldn't keep standing there any longer while his best friend is falling apart right before he eyes. He moves quickly toward Tony and then stands in front of him waiting for him to look up at him but Tony would not make eye contact. McGee kneels down in front of him but Tony still would not look at him. Finally McGee says, "Tony…I…I can't imagine what you are going through right now. I…I'm so sorry…I don't know what I would do if I lost…my Delilah or my twins. They mean the world to me. I…I…"

McGee pauses and waits for his friend to respond to him but when Tony doesn't speak McGee continues, "Tony…I am not sure why some people die and others don't. Maybe God choose you to stay here for your son. Maybe…"

This time Tony does look at him, as he tries to wipe the tears away. The grieving man starts to laugh, "Maybe…(ha-ha)…really Tim? Is that what you believe? God choose me to stay behind for my son…(ha-ha). I…I will tell you this…if this is what God plans…he just made a very big mistake because he should have chosen my wife and my precious little girl to be here instead of me. Zoe and Abby didn't deserve to die. They should be alive and not me."

McGee was not going to listen to it, "Tony stop that…yes…Zoe and your daughter should be alive but so should you."

"But…they…died…Tim. They…(sob)…DIED and I am still here."

"Tony…your son needs you."

Tony looks at McGee, "NO! MY…LITTLE…BOY…NEEDS…BOTH…HIS…MOTHER AND HIS SISTER. A little boy…his age doesn't need this tragedy in his life. He NEEDS his mom right now…not his dad."

McGee shakes his head, "No…No…Tony…you…you are so wrong. A little boy needs both of his parents. If Zoe can't be here for him…then you need to be here for him. Tony…I am telling you this as a friend and someone who cares deeply for you and your little boy. I don't want to see anything else bad happen to either one of you. You both are going to need each other to heal."

Tony stares at his friend for a few seconds. He now feels coming here is a big mistake because he is hurting and definitely not in the mood to argue with anyone. Finally he says, "I'm tired McGee…I don't want to argue with you anymore. I want to lie down. Could you please take me to Gibbs' house."

As McGee stands up he feels like he let his friend down. He watches Tony starts up the motorize wheelchair and head toward his parked vehicle. Seconds later McGee follows behind him. He helps the injure man into front passenger's seat. As he folds the wheelchair he wishes Gibbs would have been here. He knew the older man would have known what to do or say. He wished he could have talk to him about it but these days he didn't want to burden the older man. He knows Gibbs is already doing a lot to help DiNozzo and his little boy. He didn't want to add any more to it.

 _ **McGee's Secret Promise To Himself…**_

 _Ever since the day of the funeral McGee had been keeping a secret to himself. It happened right after the burial services when everyone met over at Gibbs' house. There were so many people that showed up it wasn't long before they were running short on ice, food and drinks. Delilah asks her husband if he could make a trip to the store. As McGee was leaving the house he notices the basement door was slightly ajared. He worried about the small children falling down the stairs so decides to close the door. As he grabs the doorknob he hears something coming from the basement. He moves a little closer to the door so he can hear what it is. He is surprise to hear what sounds like someone crying. He peeks down into the basement. It was dark except for the light coming from the basement window. He stares at the darkness until he can make out a silhouette figure of someone sitting on the floor. He immediately knows who it is and takes a step back. He takes a deep breath as he quietly closes the door. He will give this person time and space to grieve in privacy because he knew this person would not want anyone to see him at his moment of weakness. McGee also makes a promise to himself that he would look out for this man and help him in anyway he can._

 _ **Back At The Children's Hospital…**_

Gibbs didn't say a word as he watches little Tony's pediatrician takes off his surgical hat and shake his hand. "Gibbs…the tubes are now in and you should notice a big improvement in your grandson's hearing. As for the tonsillectomy, the throat should heal in seven to ten days. I have already left the instructions and prescriptions at the nurse's desk. They will give you all that information when you take your grandson home. Gibbs…I have a flight to take in a few hours. I should be out of town for the next two weeks. Everything should be fine your grandson but if anything happens just contact my office and they will put you in touch with my replacement and she should be able to take care of it for you. I will stop by one more time before I leave."

After the doctor left, it was another fifteen minutes before anyone else enters the room. By this time, Gibbs was pacing. When one of the nurses walks into the room she smiles when she catches him pacing she tells the grandfather to come with her. She takes him to an empty room and tells him they will be bringing his grandson into the room shortly. After she leaves, Gibbs feels a little embarrassed that someone had caught him pacing. He always took pride in the fact that he was ex-marine sniper and can be extremely calm in all situations. Now that he was a grandfather everything changed because each one of his grandchildren meant the world to him. It drives his emotions crazy when anyone of them is sick or hurt. It nearly killed him when his little Abby died. At the time of her death, his tried his best to hide his emotions so he could be strong for everyone especially the little boy who had been placed in his care.

Thirty minutes later the grandfather's worries are finally over. He watches as the hospital staff wheels his little grandson into the room. He quietly waits as most of the staff to leave. As he moves closer to the bed he can't get over how tiny his grandson looks in that big hospital bed. He reaches out and touches the little boy's hand. Seconds later, he is staring at a pair of green eyes.

Little Tony is confused and whispers for his mommy. Before Gibbs can say anything, one of the nurses asks her little patient if he wants something cold for his throat. Little Tony nods his head. A few seconds later, she returns with a cherry popsicle.

A few minutes later little Tony's pediatrician enters the room. The doctor checks his small patient's ears, throat and vitals to make sure everything looks good. When he is satisfied, he repeats to Gibbs that the surgery had gone without any complication and that his grandson's hearing should improve immediately. He tells Gibbs that he wants to keep little Tony overnight just to make sure everything is okay and if all goes well he can take his grandson home in the morning.

As soon as the doctor left the room, Gibbs pulls out his cellphone and calls Tony. He lets the father know how the surgery went and also tells him they won't be home until tomorrow. When he is finished with the call he turns his attention back to grandson who is now sound asleep. Gibbs reaches down and kisses the little boy's forehead. He whispers how much he loves him and that he will be there when he awakes.

In was around midnight when Gibbs woke up. He went to check on his grandson and finds the little boy all sweaty. He immediately pushes the nurse's call button. When the nurse arrives she checks her little patient and tell the worried grandfather that his grandson is running a slight fever but that is normal. Before she leaves she tells him she will be back in about a half an hour to check on her patient and to give him some medication if needed.

Gibbs turns he attention back to his grandson and is surprised to see the little boy staring right at him. Gibbs smiles and asks his grandson how his feels and if he can get him something. The little boy whispers, "Grump…ee…where is my…my mommy?"

Gibbs heart broke and at that moment. He wasn't sure how to answer his little grandson. The poor child had just come out of surgery and the grandfather couldn't bring himself to tell the child that his mother is dead? Gibbs fights back the tears as he reaches down and wipes the sweat from the little boy's forehead. He finally says, "Little…little man, your mommy won't be here for a while. Why don't you get some sleep? I promise you…I will wake you when she gets here." The child closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep.

For the rest of the night Gibbs just sit in a chair next to the bed. He is worried his grandson might wake up and nobody will hear him. As the hours pass, he is relieved when his grandson doesn't wake up.

It was in the early morning hours, when one of the nurses enters the room. She checks her small patient and when she is finished she tells Gibbs everything looks good. She tells him the doctor left orders that he can take his grandson home.

It was nine in the morning, when Gibb's grandson is finally released from the hospital. The little boy slept most of the way home and only wakes up when Gibbs pulls into the driveway. Gibbs smiles at his little grandson as he unbuckles the child's seatbelt. Since the child looked groggy Gibbs decides to pick him up and carry him into the house. As they enter the kitchen little Tony is surprise to see his Uncle McGee, Auntie Abby and the others waiting to welcome him home. He grins when he spots the big welcome home sign. As he tries to speak his throat reminds him how sore it is. He tries to swallow that hurts too.

Auntie Abby, who had been standing a short distance from him, asks him if he would like something cold for his throat. The little boy nods his head and was about to say something when his over protective aunt stops him by putting her finger up to his lips. "My little man…you don't have to say a word because you know your very…very favorite…Auntie Abby will always have your six. I am going to go get you a nice cold cherry popsicle. How does that sound...my little brave man?"

The little boy nods his head and can't wait for the cold treat. It was not even a minute later, when Aunt Abby returns with his popsicle. He greedily accepts it and begins to lick it. As the cold treat begins to relieve the soreness in his throat, his notices the others are smiling at him. He starts feeling uncomfortable and stops sucking on his cold treat and tries to bury his head into his Grumpee's shoulder. Gibbs stops him and tells him to look. As he looks, everyone in the room begins to move apart so they can reveal who was hiding behind them. Little Tony smiles when he sees his daddy. Gibbs places the little boy into his daddy's arm. The father and son hug each other for the longest time. Finally little Tony pushes himself back just a little. He holds his throat as he whispers, "Daddy…are you staying here with Grump…ee and me? You…you are not going back to the hos…pi…tal? You are staying with us…right?"

The father smiles and kisses the top of his son's head as he whispers that he will be staying here. For a few moments no one could take his or her eyes off the father and son. It was Gibbs who decides to draw their attention away from the two so they can have some privacy. Gibbs looks around the kitchen and sees something on the counter that catches his attention. He smiles as he calls out to Abby. He knows he can count on her to help him keep the others distracted.

When Abby hears her name she turns her attention to Gibbs, "Yes…my Silver Fox?"

"Abby…I can see your mom's famous Monkey Bread? I would love to have some of your bread along with a cup of coffee."

She smiles and nods her head as she walks toward the counter. She hands Gibbs a piece of the bread on a napkin and a cup of coffee. She then takes the rest of the cake and places in the center of the table. She tells McGee to grab the napkins. She serves each one of the children some of the monkey bread. The children take their treat and run into the living room so they can watch a movie while the adults stay in the kitchen to talk. It wasn't long before Tony wheels himself and his little boy closer to the table so they can get some of Abby's special treat.

While everyone is enjoying the cake and conversation, little Tony was drifting in and out of sleep. He is trying his best to stay awake and listen to them talk. For a brief second he imagines his mommy and sister are here. He opens his eyes and looks around the room and is very disappointed when he doesn't see them.

Tony could feel movement and looks down at his son and smiles. To him the little boy looks exhausted and he asks him if he want to go lie down on his bed. The little boy shakes his head and tells him he wants to stay with him.

The father looks into his little boy's green eyes and could tell his son had a question, "What is it my little man?"

For a few seconds the father wasn't sure if his son was going to answer him or not. Finally the little boy ask, "Daddy…can mommy and our…Sissy hear us from hea…ven?"

Tony had to fight to back the tears when he hears his son use the family pet name for his little girl. It was a nickname they had given her shortly after little Tony was born. They only used the name when they were home alone or Tony wanted to tease his little girl. Little Abby was okay with the name as long as it was only used at home…

Once the father had his emotions under control he finally answers his little boy, "Yes…they can hear us."

"Is that why no…nobod…dee is talking bout mommy and our Sissy? They don't want mommy and Sissy hearing them."

Gibbs, Abby, McGee and the others look at each other; but it was Abby who spoke up first. She walks toward the little boy and knees down in front of him. She grabs both his hand and holds them to her chest before she says, "Honey…we are so sorry…we were afraid if we mentioned your mommy or your sister it might make you cry and we didn't want to do that. We are so sorry."

Tony looks at his son and then looks at the others. He tells them that it is okay to talk about Zoe and little Abby. The hospital counselor had suggested that is would be good for both him and his son. He also tells them he wasn't sure if he himself was ready for the talk but he feels he needs to start doing it for the sake of his son. Lastly he tells them he also knows how much Zoe and little Abby had meant to them and suggests it might be good for them to talk too. Once everyone was sure it was okay they seem to have some questions to ask but they were careful about what they asked because little Tony was still in the room with them.

As usual Gibbs sits quietly listening to the conversation. He has never been more proud of Tony. The injured grieving husband/father was trying his best to keep everything together for his son and everyone else in the room. As Tony talks about his beloved Zoe and his daughter, Gibbs could see the clown in Tony slipping out just a little. Tony always uses his clown act when he was trying to hide his true feelings. Everyone in the room were smiling or laughing but they could see the hidden tears in those green eyes.

It wasn't long after little Tony closed his eyes and fall asleep. When Gibbs tries to pick the sleeping little child up, little Tony half opens his eyes and mumbles to his Grumpee that he wants to stay with his daddy. The father smiles and tells Gibbs it's okay and to leave him there. Seconds later, the little boy falls into a deep sleep.

Around eleven, everyone was starting to get hungry and they decide to order pizza. McGee and Burt volunteers to go get the pizza and any other thing they want. By this time, little Tony is fully awake so Gibbs asks his grandson what would he like to have for lunch. The little boy smiles and holds his sore throat before he says, "I...I want fri…ed chickens."

Gibbs laughs and picks his grandson up, "Little man…you just had surgery on your throat. You can't have fried chicken it could hurt your throat. How about I make you some nice warm chicken soup and you can have a popsicle or some chocolate pudding after that?"

Little Tony touches his sore throat as he demands, "No Gump…ee I…I want fri…ed chickens."

Gibbs stares at his little grandson for a few seconds. Without looking at others, he tells McGee and Burt to stop by the Colonels and pick up some fried chicken for his grandson. When the father Tony questions him about it, Gibbs smiles and tells the father not to worry about it. He will take care of it.

After McGee and Burt leave for the food run, the rest of the adults begin talking about making plans to visit Gibbs' cabin soon.

Little Tony is bored so he decides to join the children in the living room. He finds the twins playing with their toy cars on the floor. He really didn't feel like playing so he decides to join DeeDee on the couch. The little girl was watching some Disney movie. As he climbs up on the couch to join her, DeeDee turns and stares at him for a few seconds before she turns her attention back to the movie. He tries to talk with her but DeeDee just ignores him. Ever since the accident he had felt something had changed between them and didn't understand what it was. For a few seconds he looks at her but when she doesn't acknowledge him he turns his attention to the movie.

When DeeDee is sure little Tony's attention is toward the movie she slowly turns and stares him. At this moment she has nothing but hatred in her heart for him. Not even her own mother knew she had been keeping this a secret to herself. She blames the little boy for the death of her Aunt Zoe and her best friend little Abby. The hatred started right after the burial when they met over at grandpa Gibbs' house. She had overheard the adults talking. They said it was little Tony fault that her Aunt Zoe and her best friend are dead. Since that day she had nothing to do with the little boy because she now hates him.

Little Tony was watching the movie when he hears DeeDee whisper, "I hate you. Why…(sob)…did it have to be my Abby who died? It should have been you."

The little boy can't believe what he was hearing. He turns his attention toward DeeDee and stares at her. He watches as tears flowing down DeeDee's cheeks as she says, "You killed them. It should…(sob)…it should have been you. I hate you. I hate you because it should have been you."

The little girl then stands up. She stares at him for a few seconds before she runs out of the room.

The little boy sits frozen in place as he stares at the now vacated space. He is both hurt and stunned at what DeeDee had just said to him. He doesn't understand why she would accuse him of killing his mommy and his sister. Could it be that he somehow caused the accident. A lone tear runs down his cheek as he stares back at the television. He is so upset that he doesn't notice one of the twins slipping out of the room.

 _I hope you enjoy. I will try and post at least one chapter per week._


	3. CHAPTER 3 – The Big Misunderstanding

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _ **CHAPTER 3 – The Big Misunderstanding**_

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…_

 _(The little boy sits frozen in place as he stares at the now vacated space. He is both hurt and stunned at what DeeDee had just said to him. He doesn't understand why she would accuse him of killing his mommy and his sister. Could it be that he somehow caused the accident. A lone tear runs down his cheek as he stares back at the television. He is so upset that he doesn't notice one of the twins slipping out of the room.)_

Outside Gibbs finds DeeDee sitting on one of the swings. The little girl didn't notice him and jumps when she hears him voice.

"DeeDee…are you okay? Do you want to talk about what just happen inside?"

The tearful little girl looks up into the deep blue eyes of her grandfather. She is not surprised he is here. She and the other grandchildren always thought their grandfather Gibbs had some special kind of Santa Clause's powers because he always seems to know when they were naughty or nice. She wipes the tears from her cheeks. She is very apologetic to him, "Oh…Grandpa…I am so sorry…I…I…(sob)…said those means things to him but I couldn't hold them back any longer. I…I hate him…because he caused Aunt Zoe and my Abby's death. I don't want to be around him anymore."

Gibbs already knew what had happen inside because McGee's son Johnny had filled him in on what she had said. The grandfather reaches into his pocket and pulls out some tissues. He dries the tears from his granddaughter's cheeks and hands the tissues to her. He stares at her for a few seconds before he asks, "DeeDee…why would you think little Tony caused the accident?"

The little girl stares at him in disbelief. She can't believe her grandfather would ask her such a question when she knew he already knew the answer. She is angry again and raises her voice to remind him, "Grandpa…don't you remember. I heard you, Uncle Tim and Mrs. Blakemore talking about it. I heard Mrs. Blakemore say if it wasn't for little Tony…the accident would never had happen."

Gibbs is confused. He is not sure where she could have gotten such an idea so he asks her.

The tears begin to flow again as she says, "Grandpa…it was right after we came back from the cemetery. You, Uncle Tim and Mrs. Blakemore were standing in the living room talking about the accident. I…I head Mrs. Blakemore tell you little Tony caused the accident."

Gibbs does remember the conversation but it was much different from what his granddaughter remembers. He needs to fix it and he needs to fix it now, "DeeDee…I do remember what was said but Mrs. Blakemore didn't blame little Tony for the accident."

The little girl starts yelling at him, "Yes…she did. I heard her say it and I…I remember clearly."

It broke Gibbs' heart knowing his granddaughter had been keeping this big misunderstanding inside her all this time. He wished he had known. He finally says to her, "Honey…that is not exactly what Mrs. Blakemore said. She didn't blame little Tony…she was just saying if little Tony had been at the nursery that day, Uncle Tony would have gone a different way to school and the accident would have been avoided. Do you remember her saying that?"

"No Grandpa…I was so angry I ran out of the house and stayed outside until Daddy and Mommy left to go home."

"Well if you had stayed inside you would have heard her saying that. You would have also heard me telling her we can dwell on the what ifs in life. It's…one of those would have, could have, should have situations." Gibbs reaches out and lifts her chin just a little. He smiles as his says, "I do know…you know what that means because I have said that enough to you and my other grandchildren when you get into trouble."

The little girl smiles just a little, "Yes…(sob)…Grandpa…it means the past is the past and we can't change it. So…we need to stop dwelling on it and move on."

Gibbs laughs out loud, "Right…and now that you know and understand it wasn't little Tony's fault I think there is someone inside who needs an apology…don't you think?"

DeeDee nods her head but before she heads back into the house she needs to talk to him about something, "Grandpa before we go inside…can…can…I ask you something? I…I miss…(sob)…my Abby…(sob)…I miss her so much. My heart…feels like it is breaking inside of me. Sometimes…it hurts so bad I…I feel like I can't breathe. Grandpa…do you think this pain will ever go away?"

Gibbs hugs and kisses her before he says, "We all miss her and Aunt Zoe. The pain you feel inside you will always be there. I promise you it won't be so bad as time goes on. What helps me to get through it is that I remember all those good times we had together and they help me through the pain. I…I would also suggest talking to someone because it does help. I know both your mother and father are very good listeners…"

DeeDee wipes the tears before she says, "Yes Grandpa…I know but mommy cries a lot too. I just don't want to make her cry anymore."

"Maybe…if you both share your grief it could help you both?"

"I…guess I could talk to my mommy? Grandpa…I think it's time I go inside and apologies…to little Tony."

Gibbs grins slightly as he says, "I think he will like that. Would you like me to go with you?"

The little girl nods her head as her grandfather stands up. He takes her hand and the two head back inside the house to find the little boy who's feeling had been hurt.

As the two enter the kitchen Gibbs couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. The grandfather and granddaughter find everyone standing around in the kitchen. They all were quiet and just staring at the father and little boy who was crying in his daddy's arms. Gibbs could tell from DiNozzo expression that he was just as upset as his little boy.

Gibbs feels his granddaughter's trembling hand tighten around his fingers. He looks at the others and signals them to leave the room. He signs to Abby that he will explain it to her later. He finally looks down and encourages the little girl to move forward. DeeDee lets go of his fingers and slowly moves toward little Tony. She almost takes a step back when she sees the anger in her Uncle Tony's eyes. She is afraid to go any further.

Gibbs moves closer to give her his support. He says to Tony, "It's okay…there was just a misunderstanding. DeeDee would like to talk to your son and tell him how sorry she is for what she had said."

The little boy hears his Grumpee and looks at him. He knows his Grumpee would protect him. So he tells his daddy it is okay for DeeDee to talk with him.

DeeDee moves a little closer, "Tony…I'm am so sorry for saying all those mean words. I…I thought you were at fault. Grandpa explained it to me that I wrong and I should have never blamed you. I am so sorry and I hope you will forgive me?"

Little Tony doesn't say anything as he looks at her for a few seconds. He finally looks at his Grumpee and watches his grandfather nods his head. He smiles because he knows everything was going to be okay. He looks at DeeDee and says, "It's okay DeeDee. I am not mad anymore. I…I forgive you."

The little girl wipes the tears from her eyes. She is relieved that her best friend's little brother doesn't hate her.

Gibbs is now satisfied the two little ones had made peace with each other.

It was almost fifteen minutes later when McGee and Burt return with the food. As soon as the bucket of chicken is place on the table, Tony questions Gibbs again if he really thought it was wise to give his son fried chicken so soon after surgery. Gibbs smiles at him as the rest of the adults remain silent. Everyone watches to see what was going to happen. Gibbs walks to the kitchen sink and begins washes his hands. When he is finished, he lets his grandson pick out the piece of chicken he wants to eat. Gibbs carefully removes the crust and begins cutting the chicken meat up into very tiny pieces. He places the chicken into a small bowl with mash potatoes and very…very soupy gravy. When the bowl of food is ready he places it in front of his grandson and orders him to eat it slowly and carefully.

Little Tony smiles and thanks his Grumpee. He uses his fingers to pick up a small piece of chicken. He places it into his mouth. Everyone watches as he begins to slowly chew the chicken. When he gets brave enough he decides to try and swallow it. At first it hurts just a little bit but afterwards it doesn't hurt at all. He smiles and picks up his spoon. He uses the spoon to eat the rest of his food. While the little boy is enjoying his food he doesn't notice the silent exchange between his daddy and Grumpee. The father looks surprised while the grandfather had that…I told you so look on his face.

Little Tony doesn't stop eating until he has an empty bowl. He asks for some more but his father didn't want to push it. He talks his little boy into having a nice cold popsicle instead.

When lunch was over, Gibbs heads toward the kitchen sink to starts to clean up but Abby steps in front of him. She tells him and the others to leave while she and Delilah will clean up the mess. Gibbs tries to stay but she pushes him out of the room. As he is leaving, Abby kisses him on the cheek and whispers, "Thanks you…I don't know what you said to my daughter but I think it is going to help her. We will talk later about it…Okay?"

Gibbs just smiles as he heads toward the living room to join the others.

After Gibbs is gone, Abby turns her attention to Delilah, "Okay…I told Burt to make sure everyone stays in the living room and to keep both little and Gibbs occupied while we talk."

Delilah looks puzzled as she begins to help clear off the table.

Abby take one last look at the entrance to make sure nobody was within hearing range. When satisfied, she turns her attention to Delilah. She whispers, "Okay…do you remember that day you were suppose to meet with Zoe and me at the mall but you couldn't make it? Remember we had to rescheduled it but then the a…a…(sob)…accident happen..."

"Yes…"

Abby eyes water as she turns the hot water on. She wipes the tears from her eyes as she says, "Delilah…you wash and I will dry."

Delilah wheels herself closer to the sink. She places some dirty dishes and utensils into the sink. She waits for her friend to continue.

Abby finally stops what she is doing and looks at her friend, "Well…the reason I wanted to talk with you alone is because both Gibbs' and little Tony's birthdays are coming up."

"Yes…I know but …their birthdays aren't for another two months."

"Yes…but year our silver fox is going to turn the big seventy. Do you remember that day you couldn't make it to our weekly lunch. It was because you were tied up in an important meeting at work. Zoe and I still met for lunch. We got talking about Gibbs seventieth birthday and wanted to do something very special for him. We talked about having the party at the cabin but the cabin wasn't going to be big enough. We were going to talk with you about it but two days later the accident happened. After that…I…I just didn't have the heart of bringing it up so…I put it on the back burner."

Delilah rinses the plate she just had washed and places it in the rack. She looks up at her friend and asks, "What changed your mind?"

Abby eyes water just a little before she says, "Delilah…I haven't told anyone but my DeeDee has been having a really…really hard time since the death of little Abby. She has changed so much. I was so afraid I was going to lose my little girl. I have been taking her to see a specialist but nothing seems to be working. She barely eats. She cries all the time and she doesn't sleep without medication. I was so desperate the other day…I even asked Gibbs if DeeDee could have little Abby's dollhouse. I had hoped the dollhouse might help her. When Gibbs brought it over it did help a little. I have tried to talk with her but she won't talk to me. When I saw what happen between little Tony and her…it gave me hope. I think my daughter might be on the road to recovery."

"Oh…Abby…why didn't you call me?"

"Delilah…you don't know how many times I wanted to call you but I…I knew we were all struggling to cope with what happen. I just didn't want to burden you…Gibbs or anyone else. I miss Zoe and little Abby so much."

"I miss them too Abs."

Abby put her arms around Delilah and hugs her.

Delilah hugs back but it wasn't long before she could feel the tremors and knew her friend was crying. The two hugged each other for a little while before Delilah pushes her wheelchair back just a little and wipes the tears from her eyes. She smiles as she asks, "Okay…what do you want me to do?"

Abby wipes her tears and smiles, "As I said, Gibbs is going to be the big seventy. Zoe and I wanted us to plan a big party and invite his old marine buddies and friends."

Delilah raises and eyebrow. "Abby…that's going to be a very big list."

"That's why we can't have it at the cabin. The next day I did make a few phone calls. I found and reserved the local American legion's hall for the party. I never did cancel it. It's only fifteen minutes from cabin."

"You also mentioned a party for little Tony also? Are we going to have his party at the cabin?"

"We were…but I think now it would be better if they have both their parties at the same time and time. This is going to be little Tony's first birthday without his mom and sister. I think he needs his Grumpee to be there to help him to get on with his life. What do you think?"

After a few seconds Delilah smiles, "I think you are right. So…what do you want me to do?"

"First…I want you to help me figure out what kind of decorations we are going to need for a marine…federal agent and Magnum, P.I. Theme?"

Delilah couldn't help but laugh as she tries to picture in her head what the party decorations would look like while Abby just smiles at her. When they were finished cleaning up the two women decide to go do a little shopping. They tell the men they will see them when they get home.

For the next few hours, the men entertained the children with movies and games. They finished up the rest of the chicken and pizza before they all head home.

After everyone left, little Tony is fighting to stay awake. Gibbs reaches down to pick up the sleepy little boy, "Bedtime…little man."

The little boy tries to hold onto his daddy, "No…I…I…(yawn)…want to stay with my daddy. I…I…(yawn) be with my daddy."

Tony kisses his little boy on the check as he says, "You know better than to argue with your Grumpee. I will see you in the morning. Love you…sleep tight my little man."

As Gibbs picks the little boy up, little Tony knows he has no choice in the matter. He finally gives in and slowly waves goodnight to his daddy.

Once upstairs, Gibbs helps his grandson undress and take a bath. He helps the little boy dry off and get into his favorite pajamas. Gibbs places the little boy in the bed and covers him with a blanket. His grandson begs him to read him a story. The grandfather smiles and walks over to the shelf to pick a book out. By the time he turns around the little boy is sound asleep. The grandfather smiles as he puts the book back in its place. He takes one last look at the little boy before he lowers the light and closes the door just a little.

Gibbs heads downstairs and finds the living room almost in total darkness. From where he is standing he can hear soft music playing.

" _Oh, it's been such a long, long time_

 _Looks like I get you off my mind_

 _Oh, but I can't_

 _Just the thought of you_

 _Turns my whole world_

 _A misty blue…"_

He calls Tony's name but there is no answer. At first, he thinks Tony might have fallen asleep. He looks into the room; there is just enough light coming from the window to see a silhouette figure of Tony moving his hand away from his face.

Gibbs asks softly, "DiNozzo…are you okay?"

" _Heaven knows I tried_

 _But, when I say"_

Gibbs can see Tony move a little so he turns the music down just a little. He waits and wonders if Tony is going to answer him or not. After a few seconds he decides to leave but stops when he hears.

"Yah…(sob)…I…am…just peachy. I…I got tired of watching the movie and decided to listen to some music. I guess it was a big…big mistake because they were playing _'Misty Blue'_. It was one of Zoe's favorite song."

Gibbs sits down in the chair closest to his friend and waits.

Tony studies Gibbs face for a few second. He was trying to decide if he wants to talk or not. Finally he says, "Zoe and I had gone out one night. It was just before I proposed to her. We decided to go to Jojo's Restaurant and Bar for dinner and have a few drinks. There was a woman in the lounge singing _'Misty Blue'_. The woman had this real nice soft mellow voice. When I…looked at Zoe, I could she was staring off into the distance mouthing the words to the song. I kidded with her about it. She smiles and tells me that right after I left Philly she and a few friends had gone to a bar. She got a little drunk and that song was playing on the jukebox and for some reason it reminded her of me. She told me for weeks after that she couldn't get that damn song or me out of her head. Gibbs…did I ever tell you how I got the nickname Spider?"

"I figured if you wanted to tell me…you would."

"It is really not a flattering name."

"You let Zoe call you that."

"Yah…I never had the heart to tell her different. Everyone else was calling me that so that was what she called me too. Like I said…it was not a very flattering nickname if you know what I mean? The guys at Philly gave me it to me. It was from the movie 'Goodfellas'. They started calling me that because they felt I was trying to kiss the captain's ass but I really wasn't. I was just trying to do my job. I really wanted to make a difference but that was not how they all saw it. It hurt when I found out the truth. I became angry and I told them off. I left shortly after that. I didn't…even have the nerve to tell Zoe goodbye because I thought she knew about it but I was wrong…so wrong."

When Tony stop talking Gibbs thought he was finished so he ask, "Tony…are you ready for bed?"

"No…not just yet."

"Would you like to talk some more?"

"Gibbs…I want to thank you for being there for my little boy."

Gibbs slightly grins as he says, "Its what families are for."

Tony rubs his eyes before he says, "I know…Gibbs…but I still wanted to say it. I…I am also very glad I am finally out of that damn hospital. It was driving me crazy because I couldn't do anything or have any privacy. Gibbs…if you don't mind, right now I just need some time to myself."

Gibbs nods because he does understand, "Okay Tony…just call me when you are ready."

It was almost midnight; Gibbs didn't feel tired so he decides go outside and sit on the porch for a while. As he was watching the stars he is not surprised to see Abby's car pull up in the driveway. For some strange reason he was not surprised to see her. He watches as she steps out of the car and heads toward him.

The first things she does is hugs him. She moves back a little and smiles as she says, "Gibbs…I really don't know what happen between you and my DeeDee but whatever it was it seems to have helped her. When I got home, Burt told me DeeDee was exhausted and went to bed early. Burt said DeeDee didn't need any of her medication to help her get to sleep. It's been such a long time since that happen."

Gibbs tells Abby to side down. He tells her about the conversation he had had with her daughter. The mother is surprised and wonders why her daughter didn't trust her enough to tell her what she was thinking.

"Abby…the problem wasn't trust. Your daughter felt if she had told you what she was thinking it might make you cry even more. She felt she was protecting you by not saying anything."

"Oh Gibbs…my poor…poor little girl."

The two of them talk for a little while longer before Abby decides it is time for her to head home. She thanks Gibbs for all his help and tells him she will see him later.

Gibbs stays outside for a few minutes longer before he heads inside. As he enters the house he hears, "Gibbs…I'm now ready for bed…"

I hope you liked…

****Also the little part about little Tony wanting fried chicken after surgery happen to me. Years ago, my son had tubes put into his ears and his tonsils removed. Once we brought him home and we asked him what he wanted to eat he kept telling us fried children. We told him he couldn't have it because it would hurt his throat but he kept insisting. We bought some Kentucky fried chicken, removed the skin, cut it up into very small pieces and put it into mash potatoes and very soupy gravy. He ate it and it didn't bother him one bit.


	4. CHAPTER 4 – Survivor Guilt

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

Sorry for the delay of posting this chapter. I was having some problems with my computer and had to upgrade it. I also had problems with writing this chapter. I must have rewritten it several times before I was satisfied enough to post it.

 _*Just a warning – You may not like the father Tony DiNozzo in this chapter._

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…_

 _("Abby…the problem wasn't trust. Your daughter felt if she had told you what she was thinking it might make you cry even more. She felt she was protecting you by saying nothing."_

" _Oh Gibbs…my poor…poor little girl."_

 _The two of them talk for a little while longer before Abby decides it is time for her to head home. She thanks Gibbs for all his help and tells him she will see him later._

 _Gibbs stays outside for a few minutes longer before he heads inside. As he enters the house he hears, "Gibbs…I'm now ready for bed…")_

 _ **CHAPTER 4 – Survivor Guilt …**_

As Gibbs follows DiNozzo into the first floor bedroom he almost doesn't recognize the room. Just a few days ago, McGee and Burt had helped him removed all the furniture and placed it in the garage for temporary storage. Yesterday while he was at the hospital with his grandson, Abby had called to let him know the hospital equipment had arrived and was now all setup in the room. She also told him with the help of Delilah they had unboxed all of Tony's belongings and put them away. The room was now ready for its occupant who was going to be arriving at any minute.

Since the homecare agent was not scheduled to start until tomorrow Gibbs will have to help Tony get ready for bed. The injured man was under very strict doctor's orders not to put any pressure on his legs. Luckily for Gibbs he had rented a hydraulic patient lift so he would be able to help Tony onto bed. Once Tony is finally settled in the bed, Gibbs hands the injured man his meds and tells him to have a good night. He leaves the door slightly ajarred just incase Tony needs him for any reason. Gibbs heads upstairs to check on his grandson. Once he is satisfied everyone is settle in for the night he heads downstairs. He wasn't sleepy so he decides to finish reading a book he had started a few weeks back.

Sometime around three in the morning Gibbs is awaken when he hears noises coming from Tony's room. He heads toward the room but stops at the doorway and listens. He can hear what sounds like Tony talking in his sleep. He moves a little closer so he can better hear what his friend is saying.

"No….no….Gibbs…they can't be dead. They just can't be dead. My…Zoe and my poor little Abby…gone? I can't believe that…please God don't take them from me."

Before Gibbs can do anything, Tony suddenly stops moving and goes quiet. Gibbs thinks the nightmare must be over. He turns to leave but stops when he hears Tony start talking again.

"Zoe…please…please forgive me. My fault...my fault. You and little Abby should be here…not me. Maybe if I…I had been paying more attention to the road you two would be alive today. My fault…I should…be…"

Gibbs couldn't take it anymore. He enters the room and turns the nightlight on. His heart breaks when he sees one of Tony's family albums of the floor. He picks it up and gently places it on the nightstand. He turns his attention back to the sleeping man. He can tell Tony had been crying in his sleep. His tries to wake up his friend.

Seconds later, green eyes are staring at him in confusion, "Gibbs…what."

"Tony…you were having a nightmare. Would you like to talk about it?"

Tony just stares at Gibbs as he tries to slow his breathing down. He wipes the wetness from his eyes. There was no way in hell he was going to talk to Gibbs or anyone about his wife and little girl. The pain was still too raw for him. He turns his head so he doesn't have to face Gibbs. He apologizes for waking him up and tells him he will be fine.

Gibbs doubts it but decides not to argue with DiNozzo. He tells him goodnight and heads back to the couch.

Early the next morning little Tony wakes up. His throat hurts just a little but it is his stomach that he focuses on right now. It is making all kinds of gurgling noises to let him know he is hungry. He knows there is only one person who can help him. He knows he needs to wake up his Grumpee. He heads to his grandfather's bedroom but doesn't see him there. He is not worried because he knows his Grumpee sometimes sleeps on the couch. The little boy heads downstairs and into the living room. He smiles when he sees his Grumpee sleeping on the couch. The little boy walks to the couch. He stands there for a few seconds and studies his grandfather's face. He waits to see if his Grumpee was going to wake up but when his grandfather doesn't the little boy holds his sore throat and whispers, "Grump…ee? Grump…ee…are you awake?"

Gibbs slowly opens one eye and stares at the little boy for a few seconds. He was hoping to sleep a little longer but with his grandson awake he knows it wasn't going to happen. He sits up and wipes the sleep from his eyes.

Little Tony whispers, "Gump…ee I'm hung…ree."

Gibbs grins as he picks the little boy up and sits him on his knee. He asks, "Okay…but before I make you something to eat…I need to know how your throat is doing this morning?"

The little boy gently touches his throat and whispers, "Hurts...just a little."

"Well…let's get some pain medicine in you first…and then we can eat. Okay?"

The little boy nods his head.

As the grandfather and grandson head toward the kitchen, Gibbs stops so he can peek into the downstairs bedroom. He wants to check on the little boy's father.

Little Tony peeks into the room, "Is my daddy still…sleeping?"

Gibbs puts his finger on the little boy's lips to signal him to keep quiet. Gibbs whispers into his grandson's ear, "Yes…but let's let your daddy sleep a little more…okay?"

Little Tony nods his head.

The grandfather carries his grandson into the kitchen. He sits the little boy down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table and almost bumps into the old rickety highchair. The highchair was over thirty years old and it originally belonged to his daughter. After Kelly grew out of it Shannon had put it up in the attic. They had planned to have more children but it never happens, so Kelly's old highchair stayed up in the attic until little Abby was born. As the years passed, the old highchair was used for any of his grandchild that came to his house for a visit. Little Tony was the last to use it. Gibbs had planned to fix it and keep it out for Abby's baby but that was never going to happen. As he moves it out of the way, he can still hear Zoe's voice, _"Gibbs…don't you think it is time you retire that old highchair?"_

Gibbs quickly looks around before he realizes he is just hearing voices. He looks back at the old highchair and pushes it. He watches it wobble just a little. He smiles to himself because he can still remember the conversation he had with Zoe, _"I think Abby and you are wrong about this chair. It just needs some glue and a coat of paint. It should last…maybe another two or three grandchildren."_

 _She laughs, "Look Gibbs…Abby and I have already talked about this and she told me there is no way in hell she is going to let her baby sit in that old rickety chair. She also told me to tell you she loves you very much but her baby's safety comes first."_

He can still remember what happen next when he just stared at her and didn't say a word.

 _Zoe grinned at him as she threatened him, "Look Gibbs…you may scare my husband. You may scare Tim with that stare of yours but it won't work on me. You know Abby…loves you to death…and she doesn't want to do anything that would hurt your feelings but I don't have a problem with it. So I volunteered to do it for her. Gibbs…it's time you say goodbye to that old highchair."_

Gibbs laughs because he knew from the day he had met the ATF agent Zoe Keates she was not afraid to speak her mind when she needed too. It was something he had admired about her even though he would never admit it.

Gibbs mind comes back to the present as he studies the chair for a few seconds. He whispers to himself, "Zoe…I guess you and Abby were both right. This old highchair needs more than a little coat of paint and some glue. I guess…it's time for me to head to the lumberyard to make a new one."

For a moment, Gibbs had forgotten that he wasn't alone. His attention was brought back to the present when hears his grandson asks him who he is talking too.

Gibbs laughs and tells his grandson he was just talking to himself. He opens the cabinet door and reaches inside and pulls out the small bottles of pain medicine and antibiotics. He gives his grandson one teaspoon of each of the liquids.

Once the little boy had taken his medicines Gibbs asks, "Okay little man…what would you like for breakfast?"

The boy smiles, "I want pan…cakes and bacon."

Gibbs looks at the little boy and shakes his head; "No bacon today but I will make you some pancakes."

The little boy puts on his saddest face as he pleads with his grandfather, "Please…Grump…ee you…you could cut it up into itsy…bitsy pieces just like you did with my chick…en."

Gibbs repeats himself, "No…you are not going to have any bacon today so don't ask again. How about I just make you some nice soft scrambled eggs with some soft toast to go with it?"

The little boy could tell he wasn't going to win this argument so he asks his grandfather, "Grump…ee…I don't want toast…I…I want choc…late pud…ding in my eggs?"

Gibbs almost grimmest at the thought of the food combination but it is not the first time his little grandson has asked for something unusual like this so he ask, "Little man…are you sure you want…chocolate pudding in your eggs?"

The little boy smiles as he nods his head.

Gibbs shakes his head as he opens the refrigerator door to get the ingredients he is going to need for his grandson's unusual breakfast.

By the time he is finished cooking the chocolate scramble eggs, Gibbs is surprise to see DiNozzo wheel himself into the kitchen.

"Gibbs…I hope there still is some coffee left me?"

Little Tony grins when he sees his daddy. He scoots off the chair and runs to his daddy. Tony grimaces as he picks his little boy up and places him on his lap. He wheels them both to the table. Tony takes a sniff of the air and asks, "What no bacon?"

The little boy looks at his daddy and whispers, "Grump…ee won't let me have…bacon. Daddy…please…please…tell Grump…ee to give me some bacon."

Tony doesn't even look at Gibbs when he says in a very stern voice, "You heard your Grumpee? You do what he says and I don't want to hear any arguing about it. Do I make myself clear?"

The little boy is surprise at his daddy's reaction. He had never heard his daddy talk to him that way. He wonders if his daddy is mad at him for some reason.

Gibbs places the food in front of the little boy. He doesn't say a word because after all Tony is the little boy's father and he has the right to discipline his child when he felt it is needed.

To change the subject Gibbs asks the father, "Have you taking your medicine already?"

"Yah…I took it as soon as I woke up."

Gibbs knew it must have been very painful for Tony to move from the bed to wheelchair all by himself. "Tony…you should have called me. I would have come and helped you."

"Gibbs…I'm okay…I need to start doing some of this stuff on my own."

"Yes…but the bones in your legs are still in the healing stage. You could have reinjured them."

"Gibbs…look I'm fine. I didn't put any pressure on my legs. I used my upper body strength. So PLEASE…don't push it. I don't need any mothering right now. I'm not in the mood."

Gibbs didn't want to make a scene in front of his grandson. He decides to change the subject, "What time will Lee be here?"

Tony looks up at the clock on the wall, "He is suppose to be here in a little while."

"Tony…what would you like for breakfast?"

Tony knows Gibbs was not going to give up until he eats something so he says, "I'll have what my son's having."

Gibbs knows Tony really didn't get a good look at what he son was eating. He grins as he says, "Okay Tony…chocolate scramble eggs it is."

The father immediately looks down at his son's plate and makes a face at the brownish looking mess. Finally he says, "I think…I'll pass on the eggs…I'll just have some dried toast instead."

When breakfast was over Tony gives his little boy a wheelchair ride into the living room while Gibbs stays in the kitchen and cleans up. As he is clearing off the table he couldn't help but notice that Tony had only ate a half a piece of toast. He makes a mental note to keep an eye on DiNozzo's eating. He also plans to mention it to Tony's homecare aide when he gets here.

Fifteen minutes later, George Washington Lee arrives. For the next four to six weeks the homecare aide will be visiting Gibbs' house and his schedule hours will be from eight to five during the daylight hours. While here, Lee's duties will include monitoring his patient's mental and physical health. He will be helping Tony with bathing, grooming, exercises and taken the injured man to and from his doctor's and therapy appointments. Once Lee leaves for the day it will be up to Gibbs to help Tony into bed or any bathroom needs.

Before Gibbs escorts Lee into the living room, he has a private talk with the man. Once they were finished, Gibbs shows the man into the living room. Gibbs immediately grabs his grandson and carries the little boy upstairs. The grandfather makes his grandson take a bath and put on some clean clothes. When the little boy was finished, Gibbs has the little Tony watch the television while he himself takes a shower, shave and change into some clean clothes. When he is finished, he ask his grandson if he would like for him to read a story.

The little boy immediately points to one book in particular. As Gibbs reaches for the book he is surprised to see it in this room. The book had belonged to his granddaughter Abby and he had last seen it in her room. The book is title ' _The Loch Ness Punster'_ and writtenby Kate Klise. Gibbs sits down next to the little boy. He asks, "Little man…how did this book get into your room?"

The little boy says, "I ask…ask Uncle Tim to get it…it for me when he went to my house. My Sissy was reading it to me and she didn't finish it. Grump…ee can you reads it to me?"

Gibbs looks at the book. He had bought it for his granddaughter's last birthday. He smiles when he sees a turquoise Loch Ness monster bookmarker that marks one of the pages. It almost gave the impression the little creature was swimming on top of the book. Gibbs smiles as he opens it to page fifty-five. It must be were his granddaughter had left off.

Gibbs had never known a child who loved to read books like this little girl did and he always believes he had something to do with it. He remembers Tony and Zoe use to let her stay with him when they couldn't find a sitter on short notice. Instead of watching the television he would always read to her. When she was just three years old she didn't want him to read to her anymore. She insisted that she reads the books to him instead. He can still remember how patiently he had been while a little three year old tried her best to read the words. It was only when she would get stuck on a word would she allow him to help her. His eyes start to water a little because he knows he will never hear her sweet voice ever again. Seconds later he is brought back to reality when he hears his little grandson asks him if he was going to read it."

 _Meanwhile Downstairs…_

When Lee finishes taking Tony's vitals he logs the information into his computer. He next works with Tony on a continuation of the exercises he had been working on at the hospital to strengthen both his legs and arms. When they are finished Lee decides to add a couple of new ones, but Tony was hurting and not really in the mood to do more. Lee tries to explain to his patient how the new exercises will help the injured man but Tony cuts him off.

"Look Lee...you don't think I know the drill? I heard it all at the hospital and I don't need you to explain it to me. Also…you may or may not know this but I do have a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Ohio State University. SO…THAT BEING SAID you don't have to TELL ME EVERY DAMN LITTLE deTAIL OF what I have to do OR HOW THE EXERCISE CAN HELP ME…capiche?"

Lee just sits there and waits patiently for Tony to continue. He is neither angry nor surprised at his patient's reaction. He had seen this before with some of his injured military buddies and patients. They spend a lengthy time in the hospital and are injured so badly they could no longer function on their own without the assistance from others. Usually once they are finally released from the hospital they think they can have some of their independence and privacy back but they are wrong. Some patients accept it and try to lead a normal life as much as possible. Others have trouble accepting it and turn to drugs or alcohol. These patients who have a hard time accepting it usually end up destroying their relationship with their family, becoming homeless or worst taking their own lives…

Lee knows DiNozzo's situation is a little different. Physically, DiNozzo will make a full complete recovery but mentally his patient could have a very long and difficult road ahead of him. From what his doctor and therapist had told him his patient suffers from survivor guilt and he is going to have to raise a three-year-old son on his own. Lee is glad DiNozzo has a friend like Gibbs.

Lee just sits quietly and waits. He hopes the injured man will talk but DiNozzo clams up instead. Since this is Lee's first day, he doesn't want to piss his patient off so he asks DiNozzo if he would like to take a shower and change into some fresh clothes. He hopes this would put the injured man into a much better mood.

DiNozzo nods his head and wheels himself toward the bedroom. Lee follows behind him. Once inside the bedroom Lee helps his patient to remove his clothes. He carefully wraps each of DiNozzo's injured legs into plastic bags. Next he helps Tony onto a medical bench inside the shower. Lee decides to give his patient some privacy. He hands the shower hose to his patient and tells him he will wait outside and to call him when he is finished showering.

For the first few seconds, Tony just sits there staring at the shower hose. He is embarrassed about the way he talked to Lee earlier. He knows the man is just trying to help him but deep down inside he really doesn't want to be helped. Even though he knows the accident was not his fault he believes there should have been something he could have done different. If he had maybe his wife and daughter would be alive today. He looks up at the ceiling and whispers, "God…why didn't you take me instead?"

When he didn't get an answer he turns his attention to the shower hose. He knew he couldn't stay in the shower all day and this will be his first time since he got his memory back that he was going to be in the shower alone.

Meanwhile just outside the shower Lee notices he has company. A little pair of small green eyes was peeking into the room. He smiles and winks at the little boy and signals for him to come in.

Little Tony takes a step forward and asks, "George…where…where my Daddy?"

"Your daddy is taking a shower."

Little Tony cocks his head to one side but doesn't hear any water running. He wonders if Lee is telling him a fib or not. The little boy takes another step closer to the shower. He was getting ready to call out to his daddy when he finally hears running water.

Inside the shower, Tony turns on the water on and adjusts it to the right temperature. He places the showerhead onto its mount. At first, he just sits there and enjoys the hot water flowing over his body. After a few seconds, he reaches out and grabs the soap and a washcloth. He smiles as he begins to rub the soapy cloth over his body. The scent from the soap is strong. It was Zoe's and his favorite brand of soap. Between the smell of soap and steam, Tony closes his eyes and loses himself in memories of sharing his shower with his wife just several hours before the accident…

Meanwhile outside the shower, a little boy is getting very impatient. Little Tony believes he has waited long enough so he calls out to his daddy, "Daddy…Daddy…are you finished yet?"

Inside the shower Tony is brought back to reality when he hears his son calling for him. At the moment, he is very angry with his little boy for interrupting his daydream of his wife. He now wants nothing more then to open the curtain and yell at his little boy. As he reaches for the curtain he stop himself. He takes a deep breath and tells himself it is not his little boy's fault. He waits until he is calm enough before opens the curtain. Finally he pokes his wet head out and smiles at his little boy, "Little man…I am almost finished. Can you give your daddy a couple of minutes so I can wash all the soap off…Okay?"

The little boy nods his head before he ask, "Daddy…why you takes…so long?"

For a brief second Tony wants to tell his son it is none of his business but stops himself and just says, "It's because…your…daddy stinks and he needs to clean the stink off of him."

The little boy scratches his head. He will never understand way adults could enjoy water falling on his or her head. He always likes to take baths so he can play with his toys.

The father was getting a little impatient so he tells his little boy, "Little man…right now, I need to finish my shower. When I am done I will need to dry off and get dressed."

The little boy grabs a towel and hands it to his daddy, "Daddy I…I can help you."

Tony almost wants to laugh but he doesn't want to hurt his son's feelings, "No…little man…I wish you could help me but I am going to need someone who is big and strong like George here. If you try to help I could fall and squish you like a pancake."

"Please Daddy…let me help?"

Tony's patience was wearing pretty thin. So he decides to give the little boy a task just to get rid of him, "Little man…I'm getting hungry why don't you go and ask Grumpee if he could make us some of his famous chicken soup for lunch. When I am finished we can eat it and then watch a movie or two?"

"Kay…Daddy…I will tell…Grumpee you wants some soup." The two men watch as the little boy scurry out of the room.

Once the child was out of the room Tony finishes his shower. When he is done, Lee begins removing the plastic bags while Tony dries himself off. Lee moves the wheelchair closer to the shower so he can help Tony lift himself from the bench to the wheelchair. When Tony is finished dressing he apologies to Lee for the way he acted earlier.

When Lee was about to say something his cellphone rings. He looks at the number and immediately apologies as he answers the phone….

Meanwhile little Tony hurries into the kitchen to deliver his daddy's message. Gibbs was both surprised and very pleased to hear Tony wants to eat. He asked his grandson if he would like to help make the soup. The little boy nods his head. The grandfather tells the little boy he is going to need his apron. Gibbs reaches for his grandson's little Home Depot workshop apron and helps him put it on. The little boy watches as his grandfather opens two red and white cans of chicken soup. Gibbs hands one can at a time to the little boy. Little Tony slowly pours each of the cans contents into the pan. When he is finished, he claps his hands as he waits for his grandfather to fill the can with water so he can pour them into the pan. When he is finished his grandfather places the pan on the stove so he can heat up the soup.

As Gibbs waits for the soup to heat up, he notices Lee standing at the kitchen doorway with his bag. Gibbs asks, "Lee…I thought you were staying until five?"

Lee is very apologetic when he says, "Gibbs…I'm really sorry…I know I have only been here for a few hours and it is a short notice…but I have to leave. I…I just received a call from Walter Reed. An old world war two patient of mine is dying. Over the years we have become good friends. His doctor doesn't think he will make it through the rest of the day. My friend doesn't have any family or friends left and he is asking for me. I really need to be there for him. I did call the agency and they will be sending someone out here shortly."

Gibbs asks, "Do I need to help DiNozzo with anything?"

"No…he is just finishing getting dressed. Gibbs…I…."

Gibbs could tell Lee wants to say something else but he didn't want to say it in front of the little boy. So he offers to walk him to the door.

As Lee opens the door he warns Gibbs that DiNozzo might not be in a good mood.

Gibbs smiles, "Thanks for the warning. Don't worry we will be fine. Now go…be with your friend."

Gibbs watches the man leave. Seconds later he hears little Tony yelling for him that the soup is boiling over. Gibbs runs to the stove and takes the pan off the burner. He burns his hand when he does. He almost used a four later word but stopped when he remembers his grandson was in the room. Gibbs takes care of his burn before he fills three bowls with soup and places them on the table. As he was getting the crackers, he tells his grandson to go get his Daddy.

Seconds later, Tony wheels himself into the kitchen. Tony looks at the soup and makes a face. He was not in the mood to eat, "Gibbs…I'm sorry I asked you to make the soup but I don't think I can eat any of it. The meds…I just took are making my stomach queasy. Maybe I will have something else later when my stomach settles?"

Gibbs reminds him, "DiNozzo…you barely ate this morning and your now telling me you don't want to..."

Tony cuts him off, "Gibbs…I am sorry you went through all the trouble of making the soup. The meds must be throwing my sense of smell off. The soup stinks and it's making me want to throw up."

"Do you want me to make something else?"

"Gibbs…I don't need a mother hen. For now…just please leave me the hell alone."

Gibbs doesn't say anything as he watches DiNozzo wheel himself out of the room. He turns his attention to the child. He can see both confusion and hurt in the little boy's face. He walks over and sits down next to the child. He tries to explain what had just happen but not sure if it was working.

Tears were now flowing down the little boy's cheeks. Little Tony cries as he says, "I…I help you make the soup. Daddy…says our soup stinks and he…he doesn't want to eat it.

Gibbs hugs the little boy and whispers, "Your daddy doesn't feel well. Maybe later when your daddy is feeling better we can make him some more soup."

The little boy asks with hope, "You think he will like it?"

"Yes…I know he will. I'm hungry. How about you and I eat some of our delicious soup we made before it gets cold?"

When Lee's replacement arrives Gibbs decides to take his grandson to the playground. He thought the fresh air would do them both some good. They stayed at the park for a while before they head back home. By the time they returned the homecare aide was working with Tony on some of his exercises. So not to bother them, Gibbs takes his grandson down to the basement to do a little work. They stay down in the basement until it was almost time for supper.

While Gibbs was getting ready to make supper, the homecare aide enters the room and tells Gibbs, "I'm sorry…I'm not sure what I did wrong but he seems to be pissed off at me for some reason. I can't get him to talk and he refuses any of my help. I can stay a little longer if you want me to but I feel it is just a waste of my time."

Gibbs wasn't surprised and tells the man, "No…you go."

Before the aide leaves he says, "Maybe…when Lee gets here tomorrow he will have better luck than me?"

When supper was ready, Gibbs checks on DiNozzo and finds him watching an old movie. Gibbs could tell Tony was still in a bad mood. He tells Tony supper is ready and when he gets no answer he heads back into the kitchen.

Gibbs and his grandson ate their supper. After they cleaned up the kitchen Gibbs ask his grandson if he would like to help him work on the highchair. The little boy tells him he wants to spend some time with his daddy.

As Gibbs heads down to the basement, little Tony heads upstairs to get something. A couple of minutes later, the little boy is holding a book with one hand and using his other hand to hold onto the rail as he descends down the stairs. He heads into the living room. He is hoping his daddy will read the book to him.

Little Tony finds his daddy sitting in the living room just looking out the window. He calls to his daddy and watches as his daddy turns and stares at him. His daddy smiles, "I thought you were going to stay with your Grumpee?"

The little boy moves closer, "I want to be…with...you…Daddy. Daddy…is you feeling better?"

Tony smiles, "Yes…I am feeling much better and thank you for asking." The father notices his son is carrying a book and asks, "What do you have there?"

The little boy holds the book up, "Daddy…can you read me a story?"

Tony signals his son to bring the book to him. The moment his son hands him the book the expression on his face changes. He went from happy to sad. He knows this book and realizes it belong to his beautiful sweet daughter who he will never see again. He looks at his son. He is angry with the little boy for reminding him his little girl was gone. The father raises his voice, "Who told you…you could have this book? This belongs to your sister and you have no right taking it out of her room."

The little boy steps back. He has never seen his daddy so angry. He was now frozen in place and not sure what to do.

Meanwhile all the way down in the basement, Gibbs hears Tony yelling. He drops what he is doing and rushes up the stairs. As he enters the living room he almost bumps into his grandson. Gibbs looks at the little boy who is now crying. He picks the little boy up and hugs him. He looks at the father and asks him what is going on.

Tony holds up the book and yells, "I didn't give anyone permission to take this book out of my daughter's room. He has no right to have this book. It belongs to my little girl."

Gibbs yells back, "First of all you did give me permission to take anything when we went to get the dollhouse from your house? DiNozzo…that book also means just as much to your son as it means to you too. Are you forgetting…little Abby was his big sister and she never got to finish reading the book to him? All your son wanted was you to read it to him and you couldn't do that without yelling at him."

Before the father could say anything Gibbs grabs the book from his hand. He carries the little boy out of the room.

The grandfather takes his grandson upstairs to his bedroom and places the child on the bed. He puts the book away on the shelf before he heads to the bathroom and wets a facecloth. He returns and wipes the tears from the little boy's face. Finally he ask the little boy if he as okay.

"Grump…ee I don't understand. Why my daddy is mad at me?

"He's not really mad at you."

"Yes he is…he yelled at me. I…I wanted my daddy to read my…my Sissy's book to me."

"I know…but your daddy is having a very hard time with your mommy and Sissy gone."

"I miss my mommy and Sissy too."

"I know you do. Your daddy's body is broken and so is his heart. We are going to have to give your daddy a little more time."

"Grump…ee how much time?"

"As much as he needs. Little man…how about you help me down in the basement?"

The grandfather and grandson head down to the basement. It was almost a half an hour later, when little Tony tells his Grumpee that he has to go pee. The little boy heads upstairs. When he is finished in the bathroom he wants to check on his daddy. As he peeks into the living room he can tell his daddy is sleeping in his wheelchair. He turns to leave but stops when he hears his daddy talking, _"I…I miss you so much. Zoe…why did you…ahhhh…leave me? I don't want to be here…there is nothing here for me. I…I…want to be with my two girls."_

The little boy did not realize that his daddy was talking in his sleep and the words hurt. He wipes the tears from his face as he walks back into the hallway. He was not looking to where he was going and bumps into something. He looks up and he sees his Grumpee. The grandfather picks the little boy up and can tell the little boy was crying. When he asks his grandson what had upset him the little boy doesn't say anything. He just lays his head into his Grumpee's shoulder.

Gibbs is puzzled and looks inside the living room. He can see Tony is asleep. He thinks the little boy might be upset because his daddy isn't awake to play with him. He carries his grandson up the stairs. He helps the little boy undress and get ready for bed. Once the little boy is in his pajamas, Gibbs asks his grandson if he would like him to read or tell him a story. The little boy shakes his head. Gibbs bends down and kisses the little boy on the forehead and wishes him a good night. He takes one last look at his grandson before he heads downstairs to have a very serious talk with the boy's father…

Gibbs finds Tony still asleep. He wants to talk so he picks up a book he had been reading and purposely drops it on the floor. The sleeping man jumps slightly before he opens his eyes.

Gibbs sits down on the coffee table so his can be closer and face his friend. He can't keep the anger from his voice when he says, "DiNozzo…we need to talk."

The injured man figures he already knew what this talk was going to be about, "Look Gibbs…I am sorry I yelled at my son about the book."

Gibbs shakes his head, "DiNozzo…just shut up and listen. It's not only about the book. It's about the way you have been acting around your son. When you asked me to make the soup. I asked him if he wanted to help. He was excited because the thought he was helping you to get better. When you said the soup stink and you couldn't eat it…he took it personally. He cried right after you left."

Tony took a deep breath before he says. "Gibbs…I didn't know about the soup."

"That's because you didn't hang around long enough for me to explain anything to you. If you did…I would have told you."

"As for your daughter's book, your son wanted it because it belong to his sister and she never finished reading it to him. Yesterday…he had me read some of the story to him and he only wanted you to do it too. Tony…you have to understand…you are not the only one who suffers from the loss of Zoe and little Abby. Right after the accident your son was dealing with the loss of his mother and sister and possibly the loss of you too. While you had amnesia your little boy stayed by your side as much as possible. He even fought with me when I tried to take him home."

"Gibbs…I promise…I will make it up to him."

Gibbs stands up, "You better or you will be hearing from me again and I promise you…I will make sure you regret it."

Gibbs stands up and as he is walking out of the room he says, "If you need me…I will be down in the basement."

It was a couple of hours later when Tony asks Gibbs for help…

That night, Gibbs couldn't sleep because he was worried about both Tony and Tony's little boy. He wonders what kind of future the father and son will have if DiNozzo doesn't get his act together.

Meanwhile in the first floor bedroom, DiNozzo was having trouble sleeping. He was thinking about what Gibbs had told him. He did love his little boy but he missed Zoe and little Abby so much. No matter what he does he just couldn't get his wife and daughter out of his head. With a shaking hand he reaches into the top drawer of the night table. He pulls out the bottle of sleeping pills. Within minutes he finally falls into a deep dreamless sleep.

Early the next morning, when little Tony wakes up he could smell bacon cooking. He runs to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then relieves himself. He runs out the bathroom before he remembers to wash his hands. He knows his Grumpee will not let him eat until he washes his hands so he rushes back into the bathroom. When he is finished he rushes to the stairs. While holding unto the stair rail he descends the stairs as fast as he could. As he enters the kitchen he stops. He is surprised to see his daddy already awake and in the room. He is not sure if he is welcome.

Gibbs couldn't keep the smile off his face when he sees his grandson. Tony turns to see what the older man is looking at. The father smiles and signals for his little boy to come to him and is surprise when his son doesn't.

Little Tony still remembers his daddy's hurtful words from yesterday. He is not sure if his daddy loves him anymore. He decides to play it safe and sit in the chair nearest to his Grumpee. He knows his Grumpee will always love and protect him.

Tony didn't say a word when he was giving the cold shoulder by his own three-year-old son. He just sits there and stares at the little boy.

As Gibbs is placing the last plate of food on the table, he couldn't help but notice the cold exchange the little boy gave his father. He was now worried even more about the future relationship between the father and son. For now he decides this is not the best time or place to question it. He will wait until later when he is alone with his grandson.

"Little man…what would you like for breakfast?"

The little boy's eyes smiles when he sees pancakes, scramble eggs, biscuits and bacon on the table. He ask, "Grumpee…can I…I please have some bacon this morning?"

The grandfather looks a little doubtful, "That depends…how does your throat feel?"

The little boy smiles, "Much better today. Pleeease...Grumpee can I…I have some bacon?"

Gibbs moves closer, "Let me look and see how your throat is doing first."

The little boy opens his mouth as Gibbs looks inside. The grandfather could see the throat is healing nicely. He steps back and says, "It looks much better. I am going to give you your medicine first. I will give you one small piece of bacon and that is all…Okay?"

"Okay…"

After Gibbs gave his grandson his medicine, he picks up two empty plates and hands them to the father. Tony understands what Gibbs is trying to do. He takes the plates and set one down in front of him. He takes the other plate and asks his son what would he like to eat.

Little Tony was hesitating at first because he really felt uncomfortable talking to his daddy. Finally the little boy says that he will have a little bit of everything.

The father smiles uneasily as he places the food on his son's plate. When he is finished he sets the plate down in front of his little boy. Little Tony thanks his daddy and begins to eat.

Tony looks at the little boy for a few seconds before he begins to apologize to son for the way he acted yesterday. Tony's little boy would not even look at him.

Gibbs notice and says, "Your father is speaking to you."

The little boy looks at his daddy but doesn't say a word.

Tony repeats himself, "Little man…I am so…so sorry about yesterday. I should have never yelled at you about the book. It was your sister's and you deserve to have it. Also…I am sorry I didn't have any of the soup you help your Grumpee make. I really didn't feel well and the smell of the soup was making me sick. I promise the next time you make the soup I will eat it. I hope you forgive me?"

Before little Tony could answer his daddy, they could hear the back door open. Seconds later Lee enters the kitchen. Lee tells them his friend had passed away yesterday evening and he wants to thank them for allowing him that time to be with his friend.

Tony asks, "Do you need more time?"

Lee smiles, "No. I am fine…but thanks for asking. My friend's death was something I've been expected to happen for a while. He had just turned one hundred and one years old. He was a chief petty officer on the USS Arizona. He told me after his death he wants to be cremated and his ashes to be place in the USS Arizona. He said he wants to join his navy brothers in eternal peace. I promised him that I would make sure it happens. So…in two months, I will be taking his ashes to Pearl Harbor to keep my promise."

Gibbs was very much aware of the Pearl Harbor survivors' request to be interred with fallen shipmates aboard the sunken USS Arizona. He had been fortunate to attend one of the services a few years ago. It was something he will never forget. He tells Lee he is a good friend.

Lee smiles as he says, "Old Sam…was a good friend too. He was such an amazing man. I use to love listening to his old stories about the time he was in the navy and his family. Sometimes when I was finished for the day I would just hang around and keep him company."

Gibbs asks, "Lee…would you like some breakfast? There is plenty here."

Lee looks at the food. He smiles as he says, "Yes…I think I will have some. I was running a little late this morning and didn't get a chance to eat."

Gibbs grabs an empty plate and hands it to Lee who sits down in an empty chair.

When breakfast is over, Gibbs starts cleaning up. He was pleased when he sees Tony had eaten some scramble eggs, bacon and one slice of toast. Gibbs is hoping the little talk they had yesterday may have helped but his gut was telling him something different.

For the rest of the day…Tony seems to be in good spirits. He did everything that Lee had asks of him and he did it without any arguments. At lunch he ate all the food that was on his plate. The only problem he seems to be having is getting along with his little boy. Little Tony acted like he only wanted to hang around with his Grumpee. When Gibbs tried to find out what was going on the little boy would clams up.

After Lee left for the day, Gibbs was on a mission to get the father and son back together again. He decides to make chicken soup and sandwiches. He asks his grandson if he wants to help with the soup but the little boy shakes his head. It takes Gibbs a little while but he finally convinces the little boy to help him. When supper is ready Gibbs ask little Tony to go fetch his father.

A few minutes later, the father wheels himself into the kitchen. It breaks Gibbs heart to see his grandson walking a few steps behind the wheelchair. The grandfather watches as the little boy climbs onto his chair. Gibbs places a bowl of chicken soup and a sandwich in front of both the father and son.

The little boy doesn't touch his food. Instead he watches nervously as his daddy take a spoon full of the soup.

The father smiles and says, "Wow…I don't know who made this soup but it is mmmmm….mmmmmmm… good soup."

Little Tony smiles as he asks, "Daddy…you really…really like it. Grump…ee and me made it."

"Well…you two did a very good job. I just love this soup so much I think I will have some more when I am finished with this bowl."

After they were finished eating, Tony and his son stayed in the kitchen to keep Gibbs company while he cleans up. When everything was put away the three head into the living room to watch some television. Gibbs had hope the father and son had made peace with each other but for some unknown reason it didn't happen. Little Tony chose to sit with him instead. He looks over and could see the hurt on the father's face.

The next day, DiNozzo had an appointment with both his grievance counselor and his physical therapist. Since he was going to be gone most of the morning, Gibbs decides to take little Tony to visit one of his neighbors who has a little boy the same age as grandson. Once there, Gibbs offers to take the two boys to the playground and then to McDonalds for lunch.

At the park, Gibbs sits down on one of the benches so he could watch the two boys play. After a few minutes, the grandfather starts to think he might have made a big mistake because the neighbor's boy sees a friend of his and begins to play with the other child. Little Tony is now left alone. Gibbs wants nothing more then to go to his grandson but he decides to wait. There are plenty of children in the park and he was hoping little Tony might find another playmate.

Gibbs didn't have long to wait. It was a few minutes later a little girl sits down on the swing next to his grandson. She tries pumping her legs but the swing would not move no matter how much she tries. Little Tony was quietly watching. He finally yells to her that she needs to kick her feet out more. When she tries she still cannot get it to move. Finally little Tony hops off his swing and walks behind the little girl. He begins to push her and tell her to pump her legs. After a few minutes the little girl seems to get the hang of it and begins to swing on her own. Little Tony steps to the side and smiles. It wasn't long before the little girl smiles back at him as she swings back and forth.

As Gibbs is watching the whole thing, he couldn't hold back a grin. The smile on his grandson's face reminded him of how much his grandson looks so much like his father. If Tony had been here he would have called it the DiNozzo charm."

"Is that your grandson?"

It is very rare for someone to be able to walk up on Gibbs without him noticing it. He turns and sees a dark haired woman standing a few feet from him. She smiles and asks if she could sit down. Gibbs just nods his head.

Once seated, the woman says, "Your grandson is such a lovely boy. I have been trying my best to teach my little girl to use a swing but as you can see I didn't have any luck. Yesterday…when I brought her to the park, she told me to leave her alone. She said she would learn it on her own without my help. I guess I'm no match for your grandson's charm."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh a little as turns his attention back to his grandson and the little girl who were now swinging in unison. He smiles because he could tell his grandson was enjoying his new little friend.

When it was time for them to leave, Gibbs gathers up the two little boys. As promised Gibbs takes them to McDonalds. When they were finished eating Gibbs and his grandson walk the neighbor's boy back to his house.

On the way back home the grandfather decides it would be a good time to find out what is troubling his grandson. He asks the little boy if he had a good time at the park.

The little boy smiles, "Yes Grumpee. I…I had a very nice time with Emile. She reminds me of my Sissy."

Gibbs had not realized it but the little girl did look a little like little Tony's sister. He wonders why he hadn't noticed it.

As they passed a small ice cream shop, the grandfather decides this would be a good place as any to have a talk with his grandson and maybe find out what is troubling him. They sit down in a booth and ordered two ice cream floats. While they were waiting for their order Gibbs asks, "Little man…I know something is bothering you…what is it?"

The little boy looks at him and finally says, "Daddy…says I am nothing."

Gibbs is surprised, "What?"

The little boy repeats himself, "Daddy's says I…nothing."

Gibbs is taken aback at what the little boy had just told him, "Little man…why would you think such a thing?"

"Grump...ee I…I heard my daddy say it."

"When did you hear your daddy say that?"

"Yesterday… when my daddy was in the living room. I…I heard my daddy say there was nothing here for him."

"Who was your daddy talking too?"

"Nobody…."

"What was your daddy doing at the time?'

"Daddy was sitting in his wheel…chair in the living room.

Gibbs now understands why his grandson was so upset yesterday. The little boy must have overheard his daddy talking in his sleep. The grandfather needs to help his grandson understands that his daddy didn't really mean those words. Just as he was about to explain it one of the waitresses brings them their ice cream floats.

Gibbs helps his grandson with his straw as he says, "Your daddy was only talking in his sleep. He really didn't mean what he was saying."

"Yes…he did. Grump…ee you told me dreams are things you think about while you are sleeping. My daddy said that he wants to be with my mommy and my sister. His says he has nothing here. That means I…nothing…"

Gibbs always known his grandson was very smart and sometimes too smart for his own good. He needs to make sure his grandson understands, "Your daddy was just dreaming. I know for a fact that your daddy loves you and wants to be with you too. He just misses your mommy and sister and dreams about being with them."

"Grump…ee…what about me? I miss them too but I want my daddy to be here with me."

"I promise you your daddy wants to be here with you too."

The two talked a little while longer before they finally head home. Gibbs could tell his grandson seemed to be in a better mood. When they enter the house they find Lee in the living room working on his computer.

The little boy ask, "George…where my daddy?"

"He is resting."

"Can I…I see my daddy?"

Lee smiles, "I think your daddy would like that."

Both men laugh as the little boy scurries out of the room.

Gibbs turns his attention to Lee and asks, "How did it go with DiNozzo?"

Lee shakes his head as he says, "It didn't go well at all. When he came out of the group session he seem to be quiet and not in a good mood. I tried to talk with him but he wouldn't say anything. I don't think it when well with his physical therapy session either. It seemed to have left him drain and pretty sore."

"Did you guys eat while you were out?"

"If you are asking me…did Tony eat anything? Yes…he ordered a ham sandwich and ate about half of it."

After Lee left for the day, Gibbs asks the injured man what would he like for supper. Tony told him he was fine with just a sandwich. Gibbs makes the sandwich and asks his grandson to take it to his daddy.

The little boy nods his head.

Gibbs hands the plate to his grandson. The little boy holds the plate and tries not to drop it. As the little boy slowly makes his way toward the living room Gibbs follows closely behind him just incase he needs help.

Little Tony stops within three feet of the wheelchair. He daddy looks like he is sleeping. He turns and looks at his Grumpee. Gibbs signals the little boy to go ahead and wake his daddy up.

The little boy whispers, "Daddy?"

Nothing.

The little boy moves closer and speaks a little louder, "DADDY!"

This time the father opens his eyes. He blinks several times before he finally focuses on his little boy. He smiles at the child but notices that the little boy is holding a plate with a sandwich on it. Tony reaches out and takes plate from him and places it on the small table next to him.

"Little man…did you come to keep me company?"

The little boy points to the food, "Daddy…eat."

Tony laughs at the little boy, "Since when do you order your daddy around?"

The little boy repeats himself, "Eat Daddy…pleazzze eat so you get better."

When Tony is finished eating everything on his plate he pats his stomach; "Look…I am full now…I can't eat another bite."

The little boy nods his head and orders his daddy to give him a ride so he can hand the dirty plate to his Grumpee.

Tony grunts a little as he lifts his son onto his lap and the two head toward the kitchen. As soon as they enter the kitchen, Tony helps his little boy place the plate into the sink. He wheels himself around so he is now facing Gibbs.

The older man had his reading glasses on and was acting like he had been reading the newspaper.

Tony stares at him for a few seconds before he ask, "Gibbs…thanks for the sandwich it was good? Did you send my little boy into the living room to make sure I eat everything on the plate?"

Gibbs smiles as he slowly folds the newspaper up and places it down on the table. He looks at his friend, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Tony just stares at him for a few seconds. He couldn't tell if Gibbs was lying or not. He places his little boy down on the floor and says, "Little man…you stay with your Grumpee while I go use the head."

Gibbs grins as he ask, "DiNozzo…do you need any help with that?"

As Tony wheels himself into the hallway he couldn't stop himself from yelling back, "No Gibbs…I think…I can manage using a urinal bottle all by myself…and Gibbs…if…I need your assistance I will let you know."

Gibbs couldn't help but have a silly grin on his face as he watches Tony leave the room. He turns his attention to his grandson who looks a little confused. Gibbs hugs the little boy and reassures his grandson that everything is okay. He holds his hand up to invite the little boy to high five him. Lastly he tells his grandson he did a very good job making sure his daddy ate.

When Gibbs was finished cleaning up the kitchen, he and little Tony head downstairs to the basement to work on the new highchair.

Down in the basement, the little boy stares at his old highchair that is now sitting in the dark corner of the basement. He looks at his Grumpee and asks, "How old is the mountains?"

Gibbs looks as his grandson strangely before he says, "They are old…very old. Why do you ask?"

"Mommy said my chair is old like the mountains."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh.

"Grump…ee…you…you told me you were going to put my highchair out with the trash?"

"I was…but I didn't have the heart to do it because it was your highchair. So...I decided I would just fix it up and maybe donate it to the goodwill or something like that."

The little boy touches the wood as he asks, "Grump…ee are you going to paint the it when you are finished?"

"Yes…I will. What color do you think I should paint it?"

"You should paint it the same color."

"I guess I will."

"Can I help you to paint it?"

Gibbs stands back and examines the wood. Finally he smiles and says "I wouldn't do it without your help. Did I ever tell you who I originally made this highchair for?"

Little Tony rubs his head before his says, "My Sissy?"

"No…I originally made this for my daughter Kelly."

The little boy asks, "Did…did your Kelly help you?"

Gibbs couldn't help but smile a little. Leave it to a small innocent child to ask such a question. He grins a little, as he says, "No my Kelly wasn't even born yet. Now let's get back to working on the new highchair. We can talk about fixing the old highchair later."

Gibbs hands the little boy a piece of wood and some sandpaper as he orders him to get to work. The little boy smiles as he begins sanding the wood. A couple of seconds later he stops. He looks at his grandfather before he ask, "Grump…ee do you think your Kelly and my Sissy are friends? Do…you think…they are playing together in heaven?"

Gibbs almost chokes up when he says, "Yes…I believe they are friends and playing together."

The little boy smiles, "Good…I…I like that my Sissy has someone to play with and she is not alone."

The little boy turns his attention back to sanding. Gibbs works for almost a half of an hour before he notices his grandson was getting a little bored. It wasn't long after that Gibbs' little helper tells his grandfather that his daddy might be lonely and needs to go check on him. Gibbs laughs to himself as he watches the little boy put the sandpaper and wood down and then hurries up the stairs as quick as his little feet will allow him.

Gibbs stays down in the basement to finish sanding the piece of wood he was working on. When he is finished he heads upstairs to get his grandson ready for bed. As he enters the living room he stops in his tracks. He sees his little grandson sitting in his daddy's lap. He can tell the little boy had been crying. He wants to rush into the room but decides to wait and see what is going on.

The grandfather's heart breaks when he hears his little grandson ask, "Daddy…do you still love me?"

I thought this would be a good place to end it. I hope you enjoy…


	5. CHAPTER 5 – Trying To Move On

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…_

 _(Gibbs stays down in the basement to finish sanding the piece of wood he was working on. When he is finished he heads upstairs to get his grandson ready for bed. As he enters the living room he stops in his tracks. He sees his little grandson sitting in his daddy's lap. He can tell the little boy had been crying. He wants to rush into the room but decides to wait and see what is going on._

 _The grandfather's heart breaks when he hears his little grandson ask, "Daddy…do you still love me?")_

 _ **CHAPTER 5 – Trying To Move On**_

As Gibbs waits to hear what the father is going to say he mutters to himself, "DiNozzo…you better not disappoint my grandson or you will be hearing from me."

Tony isn't aware he is being watched. Right now he is only focus on his son. His is angry with himself for causing so much hurt to his little boy. His hands are shaking as he pulls his little boy to him. He hugs his son and kisses him on the head before he finally says, "Yes…I still love you…I have never…(sobbing)…stopped loving you. I am so…so sorry…(sobbing)…I made you feel that way. Will you ever forgive me?"

The little boy studies his daddy's face. He is trying to figure out if he daddy was telling him the truth or not. Before he answers his daddy's question he needs to know one more thing, "Daddy…do…do you want to be with me?"

Tony had no idea why his son would ask such a question. "Little man…(sobbing)…of course I want to be with you…why would you ask?"

Little Tony didn't answer his father's question instead he reaches up and touches his daddy's cheek. "Daddy…I love you and I want to be with you too."

That's all it took and floodgates open for Tony. He can't stop crying as he hugs his little boy and keeps telling him how much he loves him.

"Daddy…please don't cry…it's alright…Daddy…I…forgive…you."

 _ **Ten Days Later…**_

Lee drives Tony to the doctor's appointment. Today was going to be a big day for DiNozzo. It was the day he had been looking forward too. If everything goes well he will finally be free of both leg casts. He will also be able to begin putting pressure on his legs with the aid of leg braces and crutches.

For the first hour Tony was getting antsy because he had spent most of his time just sitting in the waiting room. When they finally called his name the nurse took him straight to the x-ray room. Once the x-rays were taken Tony had to sit in the examination room for another thirty minutes before Doctor Smith shows up. The x-rays revealed that Tony's bones had healed nicely and it was time to remove both of the casts. Once the casts were removed they were replaces with braces. For the next couple of weeks Tony will have to wear the leg braces and use crutches until his legs are strong enough for him to walk. Tony was elated because it wouldn't be much longer before he will not need to rely on others to help him get around.

When Tony was finished at the doctor's office Lee drives him to his physical therapist. He spends the next couple of hours there.

When Tony is finally finished with all of his appointments, he has a lunch date with his little boy and Gibbs. As Tony and Lee enter the diner, Tony's little boy starts shouting to get their attention. Tony with the help of his crutches slowly makes his way to the booth and to his little boy.

Once Lee makes sure Tony is seated he asks Gibbs if he can borrow the keys to the truck for a few minutes. He wants to put Tony's wheelchair in the truck. He returns shortly and hands the keys back to Gibbs. He was invited to stay for lunch but he tells them he has errands to run and he would see them later this afternoon.

After Lee left, little Tony turns his attention to his daddy, "Daddy…where your casts?"

The father smiles, "Don't you remember I told you they where coming off today?"

"Oh…I forgot. Daddy. Daddy…Grump…ee made me waits until you…got…here. I…I hungry can we order now?"

Tony smiles at his little boy, "Well…I'm here so I guess we can order."

Gibbs signals Elaine that they are ready to order their food.

The waitress walks toward the booth with her pad and pencil. She smiles because these three were some of her favorite people, "Wow…be still my heart. I don't know if I can concentrate with all these fine good-looking gentlemen seated at one of my booths."

She looks at the smallest in the group and ask, "Now tell me daddy's little doppelganger what would you like to order?"

Both Gibbs and Tony look toward the little boy. Little Tony picks up his menu and looks at it. Finally he points to a picture at the bottom left, "Miss Elaine…I…I want this…I want this fried chicken and fries…with lots and lots of ketchup…"

Elaine smiles as she writes it down, "And what would you like to drink with it…sir?"

Little Tony looks at her in disbelief, "Miss Elaine…you…know you are not suppose to call me…sir."

The little boy puts the menu down and raises both hands up and says, "My name is little Tony…not sir. You know you are not sup…pose to call me sir because I am…going to someday work for a living like my daddy and my Grump…ee."

The woman tries to hold back her grin as she apologies, "Oh…I forgot. I am so sorry. I won't ever do that again. Okay...sweetie what would you like to drink with your meal?"

The little boy places his finger on his chin while he decides what he wants. Finally he says, "Choc…late milk…I would like some choc…late milk…with a big scoop of choc…late ice cream in it."

The waitress looks at the little boy's father to make sure it was okay. Tony signals her to put a small scoop instead. She smiles and writes it down on her pad, "Chocolate milk with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. Will there be anything else sir…excuse me…I meant to say will there be anything else sweetie?"

The little boy stares at her for a second before he says, "No…that will be all…thank you…Miss Elaine."

"You are very welcome sweetie."

The little boy hands her his menu and Elaine then turns her attention to the two older men and ask what they would like. Gibbs orders the special of the day while DiNozzo orders just a Chef's salad with unsweetened tea. When Elaine asks him if he wants anything else he tells her he is just watching his girly figure.

As Tony hands Elaine his menu he couldn't help but notice Gibbs staring at him with disapproval. He knows the older man was not happy at what he ordered and decides he needs a distraction. Today he was not the only one who had a doctor's appointment, so he asks, "How did my son make out at the pediatrician?"

Gibbs smiles, "His doctor says everything is looking good. How did you do?"

Tony really didn't want to talk about it so he gave the shortest comment he could give, "As you can see I am wearing braces and using crutches now. The doctor said I will only have to wear them for a few weeks."

Little Tony had been sitting quietly in the booth and listening to both his Grumpee and his daddy's conversation. He decides to join in, "Daddy…my doctor said I'm getting big. I grew…grew two itch…es since last year."

Gibbs corrects his grandson, "Inches…you have grown two inches since last year."

The little boy frowns just a little before he repeats what his grandfather said, "I have grown two inches since last year."

Tony smiles, "You did? I guess…it won't be long before you are taller than me?"

The little boy laughs out loud, "My silly…Daddy."

Their conversation was interrupted when Elaine returns with their food. She first places little Tony's plate in front of him. The little boy thanks her before he starts to gobble his food down. Gibbs orders the little boy to slow down before he makes himself sick. Seconds later both the grandfather and father laugh as they watch the little boy slowly begins to eat it.

As Tony takes a sip of his unsweetened tea, he notices Gibbs staring at him. He doesn't smile when he says, "Gibbs…I know what your thinking but I don't need a mother hen watching me all the time. I promise you I am fine. Just leave me alone so I can eat my salad in peace."

Gibbs picks up his sandwich and takes a bite out of it. As he begins chewing he says, "I…didn't say a word."

Tony knew Gibbs to well, "You don't have to because I have known you long enough to know that look on your face."

Little Tony stopped eating and looks at his grandfather. He was wondering what look his daddy was talking about. Finally his gives up and looks at both his grandfather and daddy. Even at his young age he can sense they were arguing. He knew it was only because his Grumpee was worried about his daddy. The little boy looks down at his plate. There are still some fries left on it. He pushes the plate toward daddy and says, "Daddy…you eat my fries."

Tony looks at his son and then looks at Gibbs. Gibbs raises his hand and says, "I promise you I didn't say anything to him about this."

Tony looks down at the five little French fries. He pushes the plate back toward his son.

The little boy pushes the plate back, "No Daddy you…eat my fries."

To please his son, Tony picks up the five French fries and places them in his mouth.

Seconds later, little Tony stands up on the bench and reaches across the table. Without a warning, he grabs Gibbs' plate with the French fries on them and gives them to his daddy, "You eat Grump…ee's fries too…Daddy."

Tony shakes his head and pushes the plate back toward Gibbs, "No…I can't take Grumpee's fries. They belong to him."

Gibbs smiles as he pushes them back toward Tony, "You heard your son. You touch them and they're yours now."

Tony gives Gibbs a dirty look as he takes the plate of fries. He stares at them for a few seconds before he begins eating them. Once he is finished his little boy pats him on the arm and tells him he did a good job. Gibbs almost chokes on his drink.

After they were finished eating, Gibbs drives both Tony and his son back to the house. As soon they were inside, Tony heads toward the living room because he is not in the mood to talk with anyone. Gibbs looks at his grandson and can tell the little boy was trying to decide if he should follow his daddy or stay with his grandfather. Gibbs makes the decision for him. He thinks is it best to give Tony some alone time. He reaches down and picks the little boy up and places him on the counter, "Little man…I am going to need a few things for supper tonight. How about helping me with my grocery list?"

When Gibbs was finished with the list he places it into his shirt pocket. He asks his little grandson if he wants to come with him to the store but the little boy shakes his head and says he wants to stay with his daddy. Before Gibbs leaves the house, he pops his head into the living room and asks Tony if there was anything he wanted at the store. Tony just shakes his head. Gibbs stares at him for a few seconds before he heads out the door.

As Gibbs is leaving the driveway he couldn't help notice his grandson waving goodbye to him from the living room window. Gibbs smiles and waves back.

Once the truck is out of sight the little boy turns his attention to his daddy. For some reason his sense his daddy might be mad at him so he stays were he is.

Tony finally notices his son, he signals his son to come to him. Little Tony stares at his daddy for a few seconds before he smiles and runs into his daddy's arm.

The father grunts as he picks his little boy up.

Little Tony frowns, "Daddy…you kay. I didn't hurt your boo-boo?"

"I'm fine."

"Daddy…I am hungry. Can we eat something?"

Tony looks at his little boy in disbelief, "Little Man…how can you be hungry? You just ate a little over an hour ago?"

"But I…I hungry now…Daddy."

"Well…you shouldn't have giving me the rest of your fries. You should have kept them for yourself."

"Daddy…is you mad at me?"

"No…I am not mad at you. Why would you ask?"

"I thought you mad at me…for given you my…my fries."

Tony knows he has to be careful what he says because he doesn't want his little boy misinterpret what he says. He smiles and tells his little boy that he is not mad. He pulls his son to him and hugs him tightly…

After a few seconds the little boy pushes his daddy away just a little. He looks down at his shirt and pulls it up so he can show his daddy his stomach, "My…my tummy is hungry. Can't you hear it…Daddy?"

Tony pats the little boy on his stomach and laughs, "Okay…let's see if we have any pizza poppers left in the freezer…"

When Gibbs returns from shopping, he peeks into the living room and finds both the father and son quietly watching an old western show. He doesn't say anything but he did notice the two empty plates on the small end table next the couch. He smiles because he knows his little grandson is still trying to make sure his daddy eats. Gibbs heads into the kitchen to put the groceries away and when he is finish he heads outside to do some work on his truck.

It was around two when Lee shows up. He works with Tony on some of the new exercises. When they are finished, Tony asks Lee if he would mind if he would go to the park with him. He wants to spend some time with his son in the fresh air. Lee tells him he didn't mind. Gibbs was invited to come along but the older man wants to stay behind and finish working on his truck.

Since the park wasn't that far from Gibbs' house Tony thought it would be good for them to walk to the park and he could take his wheel chair. He had been cooped up inside for a long time and he thought the fresh air would do them all some good.

At the park Lee sits down on one of the benches and watches as the father and son play catch. Lee is very impressed with the little boy because the child was able to catch just about every ball the father tossed to him. When the little boy tosses the ball back to his daddy the father seems to have trouble catching the ball and that was because the little boy would toss the ball out of reach for the father. Lee laughs when the father accuses the little boy of doing it on purpose.

The little boy giggles as he runs to get the ball and then tosses it back to his daddy before he says, "No…Daddy…I can throw. You…you can't catch."

The three stayed at the park for a little while longer before they head back to Gibbs' house. When they arrived the older man was still working on his truck. Lee stays a little while longer before he gathers up his things and heads home.

By suppertime, Gibbs was in no mood to cook so he orders pizza. Once the pizza arrives the three head into the living room to eat their pizza and watch some movies. This time Gibbs and Tony let the little boy pick the movies. The three watch _'Charlotte's Web'_ and _'The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh'._ Near the end of the second movie the little boy had fallen into a deep sleep. He didn't wake up when he grandfather carried him upstairs and put him to bed. 

Somewhere around midnight little Tony wakes up because he hears a noise. He sits up and wipes the sleep from his eyes. He heads to his Grumpee's room. He peeks inside and sees Grumpee is still asleep so he knows the noise couldn't have come from his grandfather's room.

Little Tony decides to check on his daddy. He holds unto the railing as he slowly makes his way down the stairs. He opens the door to his daddy's room and peeks inside. He can see his daddy isn't in his bed. He looks around the room and can see a light coming from the bottom of the door leading to the bathroom. He moves closer and tries to open the door but it won't budge. He calls to his daddy.

A few seconds pass, he finally hears his daddy voice, "Little man…can you get Grumpee for me? Tell him I…I've fallen? Tell him I…I need his help getting up?"

"Okay…Daddy I will get Grump…ee for you. You…you stay right there while I get my Grump…ee."

Tony wants to smile but he is very uncomfortable at the moment.

The little boy hurries to the intercom near the bed. He speaks into it and seconds later a very groggy Gibbs answers. The little boy tells his grandfather that his daddy had fallen and needs him. It didn't take long before Gibbs is standing in front of the bathroom door trying to open it and it won't budge. He finally shouts, "Tony…I can't open the door…"

Tony yells back, "Gibbs…I…I fell and I am wedged between the bathtub and the door I can't move…my legs hurt."

Gibbs stands there a few seconds before he says, "Okay…Tony…don't worry…I'll go outside and get the ladder. I will try and climb through window. Just give me a few minutes."

Gibbs heads to his garage to get his ladder. He props it up against the window leading to the first floor bathroom. It wasn't long before he was inside. He finds Tony trapped in an awkward position between the tub and door. The first thing he does is check to see if Tony has reinjured himself before he helps him to sit up. Finally Gibbs asks, "Tony what happen?"

"I was trying to use the head when one of my crutches got caught on the edge of the tub. I fell and I just couldn't get up."

"Are you hurt anywhere?'

"No…I don't thing so. Gibbs…I'm sorry but I…I am going to need to clean up a little. I…I just couldn't wait."

Gibbs looks at his helpless friend and smiles just a little, "Don't worry Tony…that is what family is for. I'll help you to clean up and then we will go to the hospital to get you checked out?"

Tony shook his head before he says, "No…I don't think anything is broken…I probably am going to have a few bruises but I...think…I will be fine."

"Tony…you could be bleeding inside."

"Gibbs…I'm telling you I'm fine. Please…don't make this bigger than what it is. I promise you…I will be fine. I will be okay."

It was late and Gibbs was just too tired to argue. He decides he will help Tony clean up and get him back into bed. In the morning he will make sure Lee knows about the new injuries. Gibbs stops what he was doing when he hears the bathroom door open. He can see his little grandson trying to peek inside the room. He smiles and tells the little boy his daddy will be all right and to give them a few minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Tony is cleaned up and back in his bed. Tony looks up at Gibbs and mouths a thank you to him for all his help. He then turns his attention to his little boy and smiles at him. He thanks his son for being such a big man and helping him to get his Grumpee.

Gibbs leaves the two alone while he heads back into the bathroom to finish cleaning up the mess. He takes all the soiled clothes and put them into the washer and turns the machine on. When he finishes, he heads back into Tony's bedroom to retrieve his grandson but Tony stops him and says his little boy can sleep with him tonight. Gibbs stares at the two for a few seconds before he tells them he will see them in the morning.

As Gibbs heads upstairs he starts to feel a little strange and begins having a little trouble breathing. He takes a few more steps before he suddenly feels a sharp pain in his chest. He immediately grabs for the stair rail so he don't fall. The pain is only there for a few seconds before it goes away as quickly as it came. He waits to see if the pain will return but it doesn't. He finally heads upstairs and to his room. As he lies down on the bed he wonders what happen to him on the stairs. He hopes it's nothing serious but he is just too tired to worry about it. Within seconds he is asleep.

Early the next day when Lee arrives Gibbs greets him outside and tells him about Tony's midnight accident. He also informs him that Tony has several new bruises but refuses to go see a doctor.

Lee promises Gibbs he will check Tony out thoroughly and make sure he is okay. If not, he will insist that he sees a doctor.

As the homecare aide walks into the living room, he finds the father and son watching some old cartoons. He can already see a large size bruise on his patient's right arm. He asks Tony about it but it is Tony's little boy who tattletales on his daddy. He tells Lee that his daddy has a big purple bruise on his tummy. Lee insists on looking at it and when he is finished examining it he tell Tony he needs to see a doctor to make sure there is no internal bleeding.

Tony smiles, "No…I don't think I need too. I will admit I am a little sore there but I'm okay."

Lee was not surprised by his patient's answer but he was still very concerned about the bruise. He believes Tony does needs to see a doctor just to be on the safe side. He decides to try something he knows would probably piss DiNozzo off. So he asks, "Do you care at all about your little boy?"

Lee could immediately tell he had hit a nerve with the father. He watches as the father smiles at his little boy and put him gently down on the floor. The father then asks his son if he could go and see if Grumpee could make him some coffee. The little boy nods his head scurries out of the room.

Once the little boy is gone Tony turns his attention to George, "Why in the hell did you ask such a ridicules question up in front of my son?"

Lee takes a deep breath before he says, "Look Tony, I know it was wrong of me to use your son to get you to go to the doctors but you really need to go. If you are bleeding inside you might not know it. If you care at all for your child…you really should go get those new injuries checked out especially the one on your stomach."

Tony knew Lee was right but it still pissed him off. He decided not to argue, "Okay…you win. I will go see Smith just to shut you up."

Two hours later, Tony is sitting in the doctor's office. Even though, Smith had look at DiNozzo's paperwork he still wanted his patient to tell him what happen. While Tony is explaining, Smith closely examines his patient's new bruises. When the doctor is finished he insists on some x-rays just to be sure everything is okay. When the x-rays are ready, Smith looks them over carefully and is relieved when they showed no new fractures or any internally bleeding. Smith tells Tony the good news.

As Tony listens he has that _"I told you so"_ smirk on his face. He tells the doctor that he had tried to tell both Gibbs and Lee that he was okay but they wouldn't believe him. To prove it them he had to came here and waste both his and the good doctor's time. Tony smiles as he says he can't wait to rub it into their faces that he was right.

Smith didn't like his patient's attitude so he decides to set him straight, "Tony…in the first place this is all your fault. I know I told you…you could now put pressure on both of your legs. It doesn't mean they are one hundred percent back to normal. It means you are still going to have to work on building up strength in both of your legs. Now…that being said…if only you had ask for help in the first place you wouldn't be here wasting my time and yours. Do I make myself clear?"

After the royal chewing out Tony got from his doctor, he and Lee head back to Gibbs' house. On the drive home Tony is very quiet. Lee is surprised because he knew the news was good and he kept expecting Tony to rub it in his face. Instead Tony was quiet and would not even look at him. Lee turns his attention back to the road.

After a few minutes Lee decides to speak his mind, "Tony…I am not sorry I insisted that you go to the doctors because I am very concerned for both you and your little boy."

Lee looks at DiNozzo but the man didn't say anything or even look at him. Lee decides to continue, "When I was ten years old, my mother and my three siblings were killed in a car accident. My father who had never drank before in his life started drinking. By the time I was twelve, the authorities took me away from him. It was my grandmother who eventually raised me. She took me in and took care of me until I was old enough to join the navy. Don't get me wrong, I love my grandmother but I really needed my dad in my life but he just wasn't there for me. While I was in the navy, my grams called me and told me my dad drank himself to death. To this day, I had wished I had gone to see him before I left to go into the service…I didn't go because I was just too damn stubborn at the time. Now I will never have that chance to talk with my dad ever again."

Without looking Tony tells him he is sorry.

"No! Tony…I am not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me. I am telling you this because I didn't have my dad in my life when I needed him the most. Right now…I am worried about your little boy because the same thing could happen to him. If you don't take care of yourself, your little boy will not have you around. I…have only known your family for short time and I know your little boy loves his grandfather but he loves and needs you more. I wouldn't want that little sweet guy to grow up and feel the way I did."

Tony almost wants to laugh because Lee doesn't know anything about him or his own relationship with his father. He had always hated Senior's parenting skills but he still always loved his father. Ever since he had children of his own, he promised himself that he was going to be a good dad. He had been keeping his promise that is until the accident. Tony knows Lee is right, "Look…I appreciate your concern but I would never do anything to hurt my son. He is my world."

Lee asks, "Then why did you take that chance last night? You could have gotten Gibbs to help you. Tony…if anything was to ever happen to you…that sweet little boy of yours would be so devastated."

Tony didn't say a word as he turns and looks out the window. For the rest of the trip it was quiet. Lee can only hope that he had gotten his message across….

As the days begin to pass, Lee's words seem to have had some effect on DiNozzo. He was finally following his doctor's orders and asking for help when needed. He legs were getting stronger and he could now stand up for short periods of time without the use of crutches. He also started driving again. He felt good because there finally seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Since DiNozzo was doing so much better, Lee knew his time with his patient was almost over. Starting this week, Lee would only visit every other day for a few hours to help Tony with his exercises. Next Friday would be Lee's last day.

 _ **The Littlest Party Planner…**_

Shortly after Lee left for the day, Gibbs and Tony sit down with little Tony to let him know that Lee's last day was next week. As soon as they are finished, little Tony wants to throw a going away party for the man who helped his daddy. He hops off the chair and immediately wants to go shopping. Gibbs had to stop him from runny out of the room.

Tony laughs as tells his little boy, "Hold on there…little man…first of all you are going to need to make a list of all the people you want to invite. Once we know who is coming we can invite them and then order the food and get all the party favors."

The little boy shrugs his shoulders as he says, "Daddy…I…I don't know how to make a list."

Gibbs grabs a pad and pencil from the old desk in the hallway. He sits down next to his grandson and says, "We will help you with that. Now…who would you like to invite?"

The little boy starts rattling off names, "Auntie Abby, Uncle Burt, DeeDee, little Burt, Uncle Tim, Auntie De…lah, LJ and Johnny."

Gibbs asks, "Is that everybody?"

"I…think so."

"Okay…we now need to send out the invitations."

The little boy looks confused as he asks, "What are in…va…sions?"

Tony almost laughs but catches himself as he corrects his son, "Not invasion…invitations. Do you remember those red car birthday cards your mommy sent to everyone for your last birthday party?"

"Yes…I remember."

"They are called invitations. If you want…we can email everyone and have them R.S.V.P. us."

"What is R. ?

Tony smiles as he tries to explain, "Its R.S.V.P. which stands "répondez, s'il vous plait. It is a French phrase, which means, "please reply."

The little boy scratches his head in frustration before he says, "Daddy…this is too much work."

Both two men couldn't help but laugh this time.

Finally the father says, "Don't worry…I will help you with the invitations. Once we know how many people can come we can then plan the rest of the party…okay?"

Little Tony smiles, "Kay."

Once the invitations were emailed they didn't have to wait too long. Within an hour both the McGees and the Sciuto-Moore accepted the invite. Now that it was settle on who was coming to the party, Gibbs and Tony helped the little boy make a list of everything they were going to need for the party.

A few days before the party, Gibbs and Tony decide it was time to take little Tony to Party City. Since Tony legs still bother him a little he decides to take the wheelchair to go shopping. It will make it easier for him to move around without pain.

As they headed into the store, the grandfather and father couldn't help but smile as the little boy held his list carefully to his chest so he doesn't lose it. They are amazed at how little Tony remembers everything on the list and the order it was in.

An hour later, little Tony is grinning from ear to ear as his Grumpee straps him into his car seat. Gibbs tells his little grandson that he did a very good job and he thinks Lee is going to love all the balloons and party favors. Gibbs then places the bags into the seat next to the little boy. He shuts the door and as he is turning around he sees Tony grinning. Gibbs smiles back and ask, "What?"

Tony whispers low enough so his little boy won't overhear him, "Gibbs…I know Lee told my son that his loves Magnum PI too but do you really think Lee is going to love his farewell Magnum PI decorations? I still can't believe…(laugh)…this place had all those mustaches and little red car party supplies?"

Gibbs didn't say a word as he opens the front passenger's door. He waits for DiNozzo to slide himself inside before he shuts the door. He folds the wheelchair up and places in the back of the truck. He walks around to the driver's side and get inside. As he turns the key he couldn't help but try and keep the smile off his face…

Later that day, Tony thought it would be great if everyone wore Hawaiian shirts to the party. So he has his little boy call both Abby and Delilah to let them know about the shirts. He knows if his son makes the phone calls nobody will dare make any excuses or they will feel the wrath of Gibbs.

Lee's last day was finally here. As he steps outside of his car he takes a deep breath. He has grown very fond of these people and is going to miss coming here. He enters the house and little Tony is standing by the door to greet him. The little boy grabs Lee by the hand and guides him into the living room. Lee grins when everyone yells surprise. He couldn't believe these people were throwing him a party. The last time he had a party…he was just a young boy.

The party lasted a couple of hours. Lee found it very amusing because the little boy who was hosting the party would not let him out of his sight. As the party started to wind down, Lee begins to say his good-byes. As he is doing it he could feel something pulling on his pant's leg. He looks down and sees little Tony trying to get his attention. He smiles and knees down next to the boy.

Little Tony smiles as he says, "George…you…you can't go just yet. I…we got you a gift. You…don't go anywhere. You stay…right…here while I go get your gift. Remember…don't go anywhere until I come back. You have to stay right here…right here."

Lee grins as he crosses his heart and tells the little boy he will stay right where is until he returns. Little Tony rushes out of the room and a couple of minutes later he returns with a wrapped present. The little boy grins as he hands him the gift. Lee slowly opens it and inside is a picture of the little boy with his dad and his Grumpee. Lee looks at each one of them, "Thank you so much. I love it. Every time I look at this I will think of you all."

Lee hugs the little boy, "Tony…I want you to promise me to make sure your daddy takes care of himself. If he doesn't you can always call me and I will come and straighten him out. Okay?"

Little Tony shakes his head.

Lee stands up and finishes saying his goodbyes to everyone. As he leaves the house he couldn't help notice the little boy banging on the window to get his attention. He smiles and waves to him.

Two days later Tony drives himself to his doctor's appointment. It will be the first time he was going to the doctor's on his own. He slowly turns the key and immediately sees flashes of the accident. He closes his eyes for a few seconds before he opens them again. He takes a deep breath and backs slowly out of the driveway. The trip to doctors was slow and very nerve racking for him but he makes it. At the doctors he is told that he will need to wear his right leg brace for another week or so. When he is finished he heads home. Gibbs has lunch waiting but Tony tells him he had already eaten but that was a lie.

The next day Tony has an appointment with his physical therapist. He still had the same problem with driving but he refused to coward down from it. When he is finished at the therapist he was hungry. He called Gibbs and told him he will be bringing some fish and chips home. It turns out to be a big mistake, once home Tony hands Gibbs two boxes of fish and chips. The older man questions him about where his food was. Tony got annoyed with Gibbs and storms out of the room.

As another week passes and the tension between DiNozzo and Gibbs was a little nerve racking sometimes. Gibbs who normally didn't have a problem telling DiNozzo to get his act together did this time. He was worried for his friend but he worried more about his grandson. He decides that maybe a change would do them all some good. He convinces DiNozzo they should get everyone together and spend some time at the cabin.

For his son's sake, Tony seems to be okay with the suggestion.

Before Gibbs gets a chance to call Abby, McGee an old marine buddy of his calls. He tells Gibbs…he and a few of their old marine buddies are in town and they would like to meet him for lunch.

Tony overhears the phone conversation and insists that Gibbs goes to see his old friends. He tells him to go ahead. He and his little boy will have some daddy and son time.

As soon as Gibbs leaves, Tony decides to take his son to lunch. He tells his little boy about his plans. Little Tony is all excited as they head outside to the car. Just as Tony straps his little boy into his car seat he starts to sees images of daughter Abby sitting in her car seat. He blinks and seconds later her image is gone. He finishes strapping his little boy into his car seat and then he slides into the driver's seat. He starts the car up and sees another flash of his daughter but this time he can also hear Zoe screaming. He closes his eyes and prays for it to go away. He only opens his eyes when he hears his little boy asking, "Daddy…let's go. I am hungry."

Tony is now sweating and shaking. He wipes the sweat from his forehead. He looks into the rearview mirror and smiles at his son. He tells his little boy to give him a few moments.

As he drives down the road he has this feeling that something very bad is about to happen. He looks around but doesn't see anything. As he continues down the road he begins to question what if he gets into an accident with his son in the car? He immediately peeks into the rearview mirror. His sees his little boy looking out the window as if he doesn't have a care in the world. He turns his attention back to his driving. He still can't get that feeling something bad is about to happen. The more he thinks about it the more he begins to panic. He is so lost in his thoughts that he runs a red light. He only realizes it when he hears the screeching noises of the cars trying to avoid hitting him. He slams on his brakes and is frozen in place for a few seconds. He stays like that until he hears the honking of horns telling him to move. Tony carefully starts up the car back up and then parks it on the side of the road. He gets out of the car and immediately throws up. When he is finished he rushes to open the back door and unbuckles his son. He hugs the little boy as hard as he can without breaking any bones.

Tony can feel his little boy squirming as he tries to push him away, "Dad…Daddy…I…I can't breathed…"

The father is still shaking badly as releases his grip just a little. He hugs his little boy much gentler this time as he says, "I…I'm so sorry my little man…I just want you…you to know how much your daddy loves you."

The little boy whispers, "I love you too…Daddy. Can we go eat now?"

Tony looks at his car and knows there is no way he was going to get in that car and drive with his little boy inside it. He was not going to jeopardize his son's life.

"Daddy…I am hungry."

Tony looks at his little boy and then back toward his car. He can't get back in that car…he just can't do it. He looks down the street and knows the restaurant is just a few blocks away. He wished he had brought the wheelchair. He will have to walk using his crutches. He tells his little boy it is a beautiful day and he wants to enjoy the fresh air.

It was almost an hour later when they arrived at the restaurant. He is in pain and relieved that he can finally sit down. He orders their food and plans to sit down for a while.

It was a couple of hours later when Gibbs returns home. As he pulls into the driveway he notices Tony's car is missing but he can clearly see Tony sitting on the porch swing. He parks his truck and gets out. He quickly makes he way toward the porch because he can sense something is not right. When he doesn't see his grandson he first thinks the worst. He tries not to panic as he ask, "Tony…where is your son?"

Without looking at him, Tony answers his question, "Don't worry Grumpee your grandson is safe and he is in my room taking a nap."

Gibbs sits down in the chair next to the swing. "Tony…do you want to explain what is wrong? Where's your car?"

Tony finally makes eye contact with him. Gibbs could tell Tony had been crying. He gently places his hand on his friend's shoulder and waits.

"Gibbs…all I wanted was to spend some time with my little boy. I wanted to take him somewhere so we could eat. I panicked…Gibbs. I panicked big time. I…I could have killed my little boy. I…I can't even drive down the street with my…(sob)…little boy in that damn car. All I kept seeing were images of my little girl and I could hear Zoe screaming at me. Gibbs…I almost got into another accident. I…I panicked so I park the car on the side of the road. I was just too scared to drive anymore. We walked the rest of the way to the restaurant and took a taxi back to the house."

Gibbs was quiet for a few seconds and was trying to think of the right words to say to his friend. Finally he says, "Tony…that accident and the loss of Zoe and little Abby are still very fresh in your mind. You know better than anyone that I…I know what you are going through because there is not a day that goes by that I still don't think of my Shannon and Kelly. I wish I could take your pain away but that is something that is not going to happen. You are always going to carry it with you. You just need to figure out a way to handle it for the sake your son and yourself."

Tony wipes the tears from his eyes, "I…I know. I know…I just wish…"

"You still just wish it was you instead?"

Tony didn't answer him.

Gibbs asks, "Tony…do I need to remind you about your little boy who is taking a nap? He loves you and needs you just as much as you love and need him."

Tony smiles just a little, "No…you don't have to remind me. Gibbs…what kind of father am I when I can't even trust myself to drive my little boy to a freaking restaurant?"

"Tony…you are a father who is in pain. You have to give it some time."

"How much time do I need to give it? I can't keep going like this."

Gibbs didn't have an answer as he reaches out and hugs the distraught man. His heart was breaking and he just didn't know if he could do it anymore. When Zoe and little Abby died it was almost like reliving his own wife and daughter's death. The only thing that was different between Tony and him, Tony had a little boy who needs him.

Once Gibbs got Tony to calm down, he calls McGee and asks him if he could give him a ride to where Tony had left his car so he could drive it back home. When McGee asked him about it Gibbs just told him Tony had lost his keys and took a taxi back to the house.

That night, while Gibbs is lying in bed he keeps thinking about Tony. He worries that he was not able to help him. He worries that Tony will never get over the lost of his family. He worries for the little boy who loves his daddy and wants his Grumpee to help his daddy. Gibbs is tired. He reaches to turn off the light but he feels a slight pain in his chest. He rubs his chest but after a few seconds it finally stops. He tells himself he needs to make an appointment with his doctor. He turns off the light and promises himself he will call Cyril tomorrow.

A few days pass and Tony is going to be tied up most of the day with his physical therapy and grief support group. Gibbs decides it would be a nice day to take his grandson to visit NCIS and maybe visit the zoo. Little Tony was all excited to see the people who worked with his daddy. He hadn't seen them in a long time. With all the excitement little Tony became tired. Abby was working off sight so Vance offered his couch for the little boy to take a nap on. Gibbs took the director up on his offer because he wanted to visit a few old coworkers.

It was around noon when Abby return. She invites them to a new restaurant not too far from the federal building. The restaurant had a lot of little Tony's favorite foods. They ordered two sampler plates and shared it with each other.

After lunch, Gibbs took his grandson to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. They stayed there for a couple of hours. On the way home, there was a terrible accident on the beltway. From the reports, Gibbs and his grandson were going to be stuck for hours. Gibbs calls Tony to let him they were going to be very late getting home.

It was almost midnight when Gibbs pulls into the driveway. He notices the only lights in the house were in the kitchen. He wonders if Tony was already asleep. As soon as Gibbs enters the house he can hear music coming from the living room. He smiles as his little grandson runs off to show his daddy his new stuff panda that Grumpee how purchased for him. Gibbs heads into the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

As Gibbs was adding the coffee to the coffeemaker he is surprised to see his grandson back so soon. The little boy didn't look happy. Gibbs smiles and asks, "What's the matter…is your daddy sleeping?"

"Yes…daddy is sleeping…and I can't wake up."

"Well then…why don't we just let him sleep?"

"Grump…ee…daddy spilled his drink on the floor."

Gibbs' gut immediately told him something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He drops what he is doing and hurries toward the living room. He finds an unconscious Tony lying in the recliner. Gibbs checks Tony's pulse and it is very…very slow. He tries to wake up the unconscious man but can't. He pulls out his cellphone and calls 911.

I decided to leave a cliffhanger.

I hope you enjoyed?


	6. CHAPTER 6 - Guardianship

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…I did have some of this chapter already written so this is why I am able to post so soon. I will get the next chapter posted as soon as I can._

 _I hope you enjoy?_

 _(As Gibbs was adding the coffee to the coffeemaker he is surprised to see his grandson back so soon. The little boy didn't look happy. Gibbs smiles and asks, "What's the matter…is your daddy sleeping?"_

" _Yes…daddy is sleeping…and I can't wake up."_

" _Well then…why don't we just let him sleep?"_

" _Grump…ee…daddy spilled his drink on the floor."_

 _Gibbs' gut immediately told him something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He drops what he is doing and hurries toward the living room. He finds an unconscious Tony lying in the recliner. Gibbs checks Tony's pulse and it is very…very slow. He tries to wake up the unconscious man but can't. He pulls out his cellphone and calls 911.)_

 _ **CHAPTER 6 -**_ _Guardianship_

Almost one hour later, Gibbs is sitting on the couch in the hospital's waiting room. Sleeping next to him is his grandson. The waiting room is cold and Gibbs shivers a little as he looks down at the boy. Earlier he had to use his coat to cover little Tony so he could keep him warm. As he continues to look at the little boy, he reaches down and wipes a loose strand of hair from little boy's forehead. He can't believe Tony would do such a stupid thing as to drink alcohol while he is still taking his medications? He is not sure how much more he or his grandson could take. As he continues to stare at his grandson Abby enters the room. Gibbs signals her to be quiet as points to the sleeping boy.

Abby moves closer and whispers, "Sorry…Gibbs…have you heard anything about Tony?"

Gibbs whispers, "No…I am still waiting."

Abby whispers back, "Gibbs…do you think Tony...could have…"

"Abby…please…I don't want to talk in front of little Tony. He might hear us. Can you do me a favor? Can you take him home with you? I got a strong feeling it is going to be a while and I would rather him be in a warm bed."

Abby nods her head as she reaches for the sleeping child. She then she looks at Gibbs, "Are you sure you don't want any company. I can take him home and Burt can watch him while I come back?"

"No…I got a feeling when he wakes up he is going to want to be with me. Right now, I can't be with him and I know you would be the next best thing."

As she gently looks down at the sleep boy, she kisses him on the forehead. Before she leaves she mouths to Gibbs to call her as soon as he finds out anything.

It was almost two hours later when Tony's doctor walked through the doors. The man looks tired and defeated. Gibbs fears the worst.

Doctor Smith pulls up a chair and sits down in front of Gibbs. He wipes his tired eyes as he says, "Gibbs…Tony owes his son and you…his life. If you had not gotten him here when you did he would have dead within a couple of hours."

"Doc…is he going to be alright?"

"Yes…I think he will be okay."

"Is he awake?'

"He was for just a few minutes but he is sleeping now."

"Can I see him?"

"Yes…once he is moved to his room."

"Did Tony tell you what happen? Did he tell you why he was drinking when he shouldn't been?"

"Gibbs…Tony told me he doesn't remember much except that he was in pain and wanted it to go away."

Gibbs was almost afraid to ask but he had to know, "Do you think DiNozzo…tried to kill himself?"

"I am really not sure. I did…ask him what pain he was talking about? He just pointed to his chest and he mumbled something about his wife and little girl. Gibbs…for now I think it is best to keep him in the hospital for a few days. I will get in touch with his therapist tomorrow and see what is going on. Well… Gibbs…I need to get some sleep. Right now, the hospital staff should be getting him settled into his room. Gibbs…he is going to be sleeping for the rest of the night. Why don't go home and try to get some sleep…

Gibbs watches as the doctor leaves the room. He thoughts turn his grandson. He can't get the image of how traumatized the little boy was as he watched his daddy being places in an ambulance. All the way to the hospital the little boy kept begging him not to let his daddy die. It just broke his heart. He decides it is time for him to do something to protect his grandson. He knows DiNozzo isn't going to like it but at the moment he doesn't give a damn about him. This time he was going to make sure his grandson comes first.

Gibbs pulls out his cellphone. It was still early in the morning hours. It didn't take long to hear a female voice, "Gibbs…is everything all right?"

Gibbs rubs his head as he says, "Mary…DiNozzo is in the hospital again. I am going to need your help…so we can protect our grandchild."

 _ **Several hours later…**_

As the sun begins to peak through the window blinds, Tony wakes up. At first he is confused as to why he is back in the hospital and then he remembers. He remembers being alone and being bombarded by too many painful memories of his wife and daughter. He wanted them to go away. He remembers foolishly drinking a glass of bourbon as he swallowed some pills. He doesn't remember anything after that.

As he looks around the room, he wonders where Gibbs is. He smiles just a little when he figures Gibbs just went for his usual coffee. It was a few minutes later when one of the nurses walks into the room. She takes his vitals and asks him how he was feeling. He tells her he is fine. She stares at him as if she disapproves what he had just said. She then tells him the doctor would be shortly to check in on him.

It was almost nine o'clock when Gibbs finally shows up. Tony watches, as Gibbs pulls up a chair and sits down next to the bed. Tony could tell his friend was pissed as he scoots a little closer to the bed, "DiNozzo…first of all you scared the shit out of your little boy and me."

Tony was going to say something but Gibbs raises his hand to stop him, "DINOZZO JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME. First, I am going to ask you how you are doing and I don't want you to give me that you are fine crap. I want you to tell me the truth as to why you would be stupid enough to drink alcohol with your medication?"

Tony knew he did wrong and at the moment he was just too embarrassed to talk about it. So, he turns away so he doesn't have to face the older man.

Gibbs laughs, "So…this is how you are going to handle it. You're going to act like you are younger than your own little boy? I thought you were a better man than that?"

Without looking, Tony yells at him to go to hell.

This angers Gibbs even more, "LIKE HELL I WILL! DiNozzo…you listen to me. I am so tired of the way you have been acting. You act like you are the only one hurting. You are forgetting your little boy. He hurts just as much as you do and maybe even more. If you continue doing what you are doing he loses you too."

"Gibbs…please…I…I am begging you to just leave me alone. I…I don't want to talk right now. I need time to think."

"DiNozzo is that what you really want? Time to think?"

"Yes…please Gibbs…I…."

Gibbs stands up and slams the chair against the bed before he says, "Okay DiNozzo…you want some alone time? I am going to give you your time but when I came back…we are going to talk and you better have some damn answers for me when we do."

As Gibbs leaves the room he take one last look at his friend. It bothers him that Tony didn't even ask him about his son. He knows Tony loves his little boy but at the moment Tony is only focused on himself and not thinking about his little boy. This bothers him a lot.

Several hours later, Gibbs keeps his promise and returns. He finds Tony sitting by the window. Tony looks at him for a few seconds before he turns his head and looks out the window. Gibbs could tell Tony was not ready to talk. This angers Gibbs because he already knows he is in for a fight. It's a fight he is willing to take for the sake of his grandson. The little boy needs his daddy and he wants to make sure DiNozzo is there for his son. Gibbs walks toward the bed, "DiNozzo…are you going to tell me what happen yesterday? You know better than to drink while you take your meds."

Tony turns and looks at him, "What can I say? I messed up and I promise I won't do that again. Now…can we just let it be?"

"No…DiNozzo…I want to know what is going on in that head of yours?"

Tony stares at Gibbs for a few seconds before he ask, "Where is my son?"

Gibbs knew the question was just a distraction. Finally he says, "I called Mary early in this morning hours. She drove all the way down here and took your son back with her. He needs to be away from here for a while. He needs to be away from you."

Tony becomes angry; "Gibbs…you have no right. He is my son…Mary…had no right taking my son out of state without my permission?"

Gibbs couldn't hold back his anger, "DiNozzo…do you realize what you are putting that poor child through ever time you go on one of your damn pity parties? Yesterday…when we arrived back at the house it was your little boy who found you unconscious in the living room. At first…he thought you were just asleep. He became pretty upset when I tried to wake you up. He cried when the ambulance came and took you to the hospital. He cried all the way to the hospital. I held him in my arms as he cried himself to sleep. I had Abby come and get him while I waited here to find out if you were going to make it or not. As soon as the doctor told me you were going to live I called Mary. I asked her to come and get him so that poor child can have a break from his unstable and careless father."

Tony whispers, "Gibbs…you still have no right..."

Gibbs cuts in, "Yes…I have every right or are you forgetting Zoe and you gave me guardianship over your son if anything happens to you? Last night, you were in no position to control what was happening to you. I had ever right to step in and do what I thought would be best for my grandson."

Gibbs voice softens just a little as he says, "DiNozzo…I am worried about your son. His is under a lot of stress. He needs some time away from you. He needs to be a little kid again."

Tony knew Gibbs was right but he didn't want to admit it. All he could say was, "You still had no right taking my son away from me?"

This anger Gibbs. He felt Tony hadn't listened to anything he had just said. He didn't want to be a bastard but at the same time he was not going to hold back, "YES…YES…I…DO. you need to get your head out of your ass…until you do THAT you don't need to be around your SON. HE DOESN'T NEED to be PART OF YOUR PITY PARTY AND NEITHER DOES ANY OF REST OF US."

Tony lowers his voice as he says, "PITY PARTY is that what you want to call it. My wife and my child are dead and I can't do a thing about. At least when your wife and child died you were able to kill that bastard that did that. I…I…I don't even have that right. Tell me Gibbs…how did the revenge thing work out for you? Did all the anger go away? Was you life any better then it is now?"

Gibbs knew he had pushed Tony too far. All DiNozzo wanted to do now was hurt him as much as he is hurting. He whispers, "Tony…you still have a son. He needs you."

Tony knew Gibbs was right but he was not going to admit it, "GIBBS…WHY…DON'T YOU GO TO HELL! BETTER YET…GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE AND MY SON'S LIFE. LEAVE US ALONE. IF YOU DON'T…I PROMISE YOU WHEN I LEAVE HERE I AM TAKING MY LITTLE BOY BACK HOME WITH ME AND I MEAN BACK HOME TO NEW YORK. SO NEITHER YOU NOR MARY WILL EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY SON OR ME AGAIN. NOW PLEASE…LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE…"

Tony turns his back to Gibbs and would not look at him. The room became very quiet. It stayed that way until he hears a nurse asking him if everything is okay. When he turns to answer her he notices that Gibbs is no longer in the room.

Meanwhile outside in the parking lot, Gibbs makes his way to his truck. Once inside the vehicle his mind goes back over the argument he just had with DiNozzo. He is angry with himself because he let it get too out of control. He looks back at the building. He wonders if he should go back and finished what he had started but decides against it. As he places the key into the ignition he feels a sharp pain. He grabs his chest and places his head against the steering wheel. The pain was just too much and he passes out…

 _Sorry another cliffhanger…_

 _I hope you enjoyed…_


	7. CHAPTER 7 - My Grief And Pain Are Mine

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…_

 _(Tony knew Gibbs was right but he was not going to admit it, "GIBBS…WHY…DON'T YOU GO TO HELL! BETTER YET…GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE AND MY SON'S LIFE. LEAVE US ALONE. IF YOU DON'T…I PROMISE YOU WHEN I LEAVE HERE I AM TAKING MY LITTLE BOY BACK HOME WITH ME AND I MEAN BACK HOME TO NEW YORK. SO NEITHER YOU NOR MARY WILL EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY SON OR ME AGAIN. NOW PLEASE…LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE…"_

 _Tony turns his back to Gibbs and would not look at him. The room became very quiet. It stayed that way until he hears a nurse asking him if everything is okay. When he turns to answer her he notices that Gibbs is no longer in the room._

 _Meanwhile outside in the parking lot, Gibbs makes his way to his truck. Once inside the vehicle his mind goes back over the argument he just had with DiNozzo. He is angry with himself because he let it get too out of control. He looks back at the building. He wonders if he should go back and finished what he had started but decides against it. As he places the key into the ignition he feels a sharp pain. He grabs his chest and places his head against the steering wheel. The pain was just too much and he passes out…)_

 _ **CHAPTER 7 –**_ _This Act of Altruism_

Back inside the hospital, DiNozzo watches as the nurse finishes checking his blood pressure. She mentions to him his blood pressure is a little high. She tells him she will be back shortly to check his pressure again. After she leaves Tony has time to think about his confrontation with Gibbs. He had not planned to get angry with Gibbs because he knew the older man had been there for him and his little boy. He just didn't like Gibbs telling him what a stupid thing he had down. He knows now he needs to apologize to his friend.

As he reaches for his IPhone he stops when he sees George Washington Lee standing in the doorway of his hospital room. Lee doesn't smile as he grabs a chair and sits down next to the bed. Neither man spoke a word as Lee picks up DiNozzo's chart and looks it over before he puts it back. Finally he says, "I was visiting an old patient of mine when I heard you were back in the hospital. I was surprised so I had to stop by and see what happen."

Tony looks annoyed," I'm not your patient anymore."

"I know…but I always like to check on my old patients and see how they are doing. It's just who I am."

Tony starts to feel a little angry again as he asks, "Did Gibbs put you up to this?"

There is no emotion on Lee's face when he says, "No…I haven't talked with Gibbs since the party. As I said a moment ago, I was visiting an old patient of mine when I heard you were here."

Tony stares at the man for a few seconds. He is not sure if Lee was telling him the truth or not. Finally he says, "Look…you don't have to worry about me and you can tell Gibbs he don't have to worry about me anymore. I made a stupid mistake of taking the alcohol with my meds and I promise I won't do that again."

Lee stares at Tony for a few seconds before he finally cocks his head and asks, "Tony…was it really a stupid mistake or did you subconsciously planned it?"

For a few seconds, Tony's face changes to anger but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

Lee smiles just a little because he knew he has hit a nerve. He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out what looks like a laminated card. He hands it to Tony. Tony looks at the card for a second before he tries to hand it back to Lee but Lee refuses to take it.

Tony smiles as he jokingly crosses his heart as he says, "Look Lee...I promise you I am fine…I just made a stupid mistake and now everyone thinks I am suicidal…but I'm not. It was just a stupid mistake. I have learned my lesson and I won't make that stupid mistake again. So…you can go back and tell whomever sent you here that I am going to be okay and they don't have to worry about me."

Lee didn't believe him, "Tony…please hear me out first before you kick me out of your room. Shortly after I left the navy I went through some really rough times. I started thinking of my dad a lot. I kept saying to myself if only I had been there for him when he needed me the most…maybe just maybe I could have helped him in someway. Anyway I begin drinking a lot and started going down a self-destructive path. It wasn't long before I begin blaming God and everyone else for what happen to my family. I will always regret not making peace with dad before he died. Maybe if I did he would be alive today."

Lee eyes begin to water as he continues, "Anyway…to get back to what I am trying to tell you…A few years back I was traveling on this plane to visit my grandmother. I was sitting next to this woman. We got talking and I told her about my time in the service and what my plans are. We talk through the entire trip. Just before we disembarked the plane, she hands me that card that I just gave you. I have been keeping it all these years and it has helped me throughout some of my most rough times. I am hoping it might help you?"

Tony looks at the card again and reads it to himself. _'My grief and pain are mine. I have earned them. They are part of me. Only in feeling them do I open myself to the lessons they can teach, by Anne Wilson Schaef.'_

Tony tries to hand it back to Lee.

Lee shakes his head, "No Tony…you keep it. I have more. Besides…Schaef's words are forever ingrained in my mind and they have helped me throughout my most difficult times. Maybe her words will somehow help you as they have helped me. Listen…I know you love your little boy with all your heart. I also know you would do anything for him but you have to take care of yourself to accomplish that. You have to remember you are not in this alone, your little boy has lost his mother and sister and he almost lost you twice now. No matter how much he loves his Grumpee…you are his world and you will always be his world. Can you imagine what it would do to that sweet precious little boy of yours if you were not here for him anymore?"

Tony didn't say anything because he knew the man was right.

Lee stands up. "Well…I have to go. Tony…you take care of yourself and take care of that little boy of yours…"

As Lee walks out of the room his thoughts are on the phone call he received early this morning. He was surprised to hear a little boy voice. The child was crying and begging him to help his daddy. Before the phone call ended he had made the promise to the little boy that he would do whatever he can to help his daddy.

Lee takes one last look in the room before he whispers to himself, "Tony…you better get your act together and take care of your little boy. If you don't I will personally come back here and kick your ass."

A few minutes after Lee left, Tony's cellphone rings. He looks at the name on the screen. It was his mother-in-law Mary. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to her but she did have his son. He decides to answer it but instead of Mary voice he hears his little boy's sweet voice instead, _"Daddy?"_

Tony couldn't help but smile as he whispers into iPhone, "Hi…little man."

" _Daddy…are you okay? Are you really okay? I…I was so worried about you?"_

"I'm okay now that I can hear your sweet voice? Are…are you having a good time with Granny Mary?"

" _Yes…Granny Mary is going to take me to the zoo tomorrow. Can you and Grumpee come with us?"_

"No…not this time but maybe we can go another day."

" _Daddy?"_

"What…little man?"

" _I heard Granny Mary and Grumpee talking on the phone. They said you want to be with mommy and Sissy in heaven. Daddy…please…(sob)…stay with me. I…I promise I will be a good boy and do everything you want me to do."_

The father closes his eyes. He was doing everything he could to keep control of his emotions. Finally he says, "Little man…you are already a good boy. You have done nothing…wrong. If anyone has been wrong it was me and only me."

" _Daddy...Grumpee and me were so worried about you. I saw my Grumpee cry and I cry too."_

"I know. I'm…I'm so sorry I upset you both."

" _Daddy…you better not make us cry…anymore. If you do I be mad at you next time…"_

Tony couldn't help but smiles just a little as he gets a well deserved scolding from his little boy. Finally he says, "I hear you and I cross my heart and promise I won't make your Grumpee or you cry anymore."

For a few seconds there was only silence. Finally little Tony says, _"I love you Daddy and I want you to be here with me…forever."_

Tears flows freely down the father's cheeks as he says, "I love you too. I am so sorry for all the stuff I have put you and Grumpee through. Can you ever forgive me?"

The little boy ignored his father's last question as his says, _"Daddy...can I come home and be with you."_

"No…for now you need to stay with Granny Mary until daddy can get himself better."

"Daddy…Granny Mary says we have to go now. Granny is taking me to McDonald's. I…I will call you tomorrow…okay? I love you Daddy…bye."

"Bye my little man. I love you too."

Tony had thought his little boy had already hung up when it went quiet. He was surprise when he hears, "Bye Daddy…I got to hang up now."

Seconds later the nurse enters the room to check his blood pressure. This time it was back to normal. After she leaves, Tony tries to call Gibbs so he can apologize but the older man was not answering his phone.

 _ **Earlier this morning at the Sciuto-Moores' house…**_

Gibbs was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, while Abby was getting ready to make breakfast for her family. At the moment he knew better then to say anything to her. He knew she was still angry and refused to look or talk to him. He really didn't blame her because no one likes to be woken up in the early morning hours and have to drive forty miles to the hospital just to chauffeur and babysit a stubborn old man.

Every time he hears a cabinet door slam or a pot bang against something he almost jumps. He thinks to himself if Abby doesn't give him a heart attack nothing will. He decides it is best for him to keep his mouth shut and wait until she is ready to talk with him.

While he waits, his mind goes back to yesterday. He remembers the pain and everything going black. The next thing he remembers was waking up in the emergency room. He had an oxygen mask covering his face and he was connected to a heart monitor machine. One of the nurses explained to him what had happened. She also told him they had to go through his pockets to find out who he was and they called his doctor. It was just a short time later when Dr. Cyril Taft arrived. Gibbs knew immediately that his friend was angry with him. He remembers his old friend sits down in one of the chairs next to the bed. Cyril had the test results in his hands. He studies the paperwork before he looks at him. Finally he says, _"Gibbs…the good news is you didn't have a heart attack."_

" _Then what cause the chest pains? Was it my old injury?"_

" _No…it was just stress…"_

 _Gibbs smiles with relief._

 _Taft didn't smile back as he says, "Gibbs…I know you have been going through a lot since the accident. I had tried calling you several times after the funeral. I wanted to see how things were going with you but you never returned any of my calls."_

" _I planned too…but I…"_

 _Taft cut him off, "Gibbs…I am your friend. I have been your friend for a number of years now. I know how much you care about Tony and his family. What happen to them was very tragic. If…I know you correctly…you are doing everything you can to help Tony and his little boy and it is what is causing your stress. You can't keep doing this…your body is telling you to slow down and maybe let the others help out. Abby and McGee could help and all you have to do is ask them."_

" _They have their own problems. As long as I can help DiNozzo and his son I am going to keep doing it."_

 _Taft raises his voice just a little; "This act of altruism is not a good thing if you kill yourself trying to do it. That pain you felt yesterday was your body warning you to take a step back."_

 _Gibbs did not say anything but stares at his friend._

 _Taft shakes his head as he stands up and walks out of the room._

Gibbs' mind is brought back to the present when he hears Abby yelling at him, "GIBBS! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL MCGEE OR ME? TONY AND YOU ARE FAMILY. we care about both of you. you should have called us. We would have come and helped somehow!"

Gibbs wished he had never mention to Abby about what had happen at the hospital. He remembers he was still a little groggy from the meds on the ride to Abby's house. He told her about the argument he had had with DiNozzo and now he regrets.

Abby turns away before she slams her hand against the counter. She takes a deep breath and turns back to him before she says, "What Tony said to you was so very wrong. He was just hurting and he wanted to hurt back. He…"

She couldn't finish what she wanted to say. She begins to cry.

Gibbs stands up and tries to comfort her but she pushed him away. He tries again but this time she allows him to comfort her. It was almost noon when McGee came by and drove Gibbs back home.

Almost an hour after Gibbs had left, Abby cellphone rings. She looks at it and sees its Tony. She is not sure if she wants to answer it but gives in after a few seconds. "Tony…what do you want."

Tony could tell from Abby's voice that she is angry with him. He ignores her and asks, "Abby…I have been trying to call Gibbs but I keep going into his voicemail. Do you know where he might be?"

It was a few seconds before she answers him; "He is probably at home by now."

"Abby…I really need to talk with him."

"Tony…you were so mean to him. How can you mean so mean to him when all he wanted to do was help you and little Tony? You don't deserve someone like him."

"Abby…I know…I am sorry. I still need to talk with him."

"Tony…I am not the one you need to be saying you're sorry too. You need to say that to Gibbs"

"I know and that is why I want to talk with him."

"Good…he doesn't need to go back to the hospital."

Tony is surprised, "What are you talking about? What do you mean back to the hospital?"

"Right after he left you he had passed out in the hospital parking lot. They rush him to the emergency room. They thought he had a heart attack but it was stress. Tony…I am warning you better now hurt him because I am warning you."

Tony whispers, "I promise you I won't."

Meanwhile at Gibbs's house, he walks into the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He still couldn't get his mind off how he left it with DiNozzo. What kind of friend was he to walk out when his friend needs him to be strong for him? Maybe Taft and Abby are right? Maybe it is time he lets that the others handle it?

Once the coffee is made he pours himself a cup and heads down stairs. He places the cup down on the table as his eyes focuses on the highchair. He walks over and touches it. It still needs a little more sanding and then he can start painting it.

He continues to looks around the room. To him…this place has always been his safe space. It was his private place to think and get away from his problems. Since the accident it became a place he shares with his little grandson. It is so quiet now and he misses the little boy so much. He angrily picks up his coffee mug and throws it across the room. Pieces of the broken cup and liquid were now scatter all over the wall and floor.

As he reaches down to pick up the pieces he hears a noise. Someone is now walking across the upper floor. He recognizes those footsteps immediately. He watches as the basement door opens and his visitor slowly descends the stairs.

DiNozzo slowly limps toward him and doesn't stop until he stands a few feet in front of him.

Gibbs asks, "I thought Smith was going to keep you for a few days longer?"

Tony smiles shyly, "He…didn't like it when I signed myself out."

Gibbs ask, "Tony…why did you come here?"

Tony did not answer him right away but instead looks around the room. Gibbs watches as his friend spots the broken cup and spilled coffee. Tony limps toward it and picks up one of the broken pieces and studies it. Gibbs waits patiently. He knew anytime Tony wants to talk seriously he will never look at him until he gathers all his thoughts together. Finally, Tony places the broken pieces gently on the table. He looks at Gibbs, "Accident?"

Gibbs grins, "You could say that. Tony…answer my question. Why are you here?"

Tony looks at him, "I needed to be here because I need to apologize to you. On the trip over here I am been trying to figure out a way to apologize without you telling me it is a sign of weakness."

Gibbs smiles, "You…already know my rule eighteen covers it."

Tony nods, "Yes…your rule eighteen…I always seem to forget that rule. Gibbs…about yesterday…I…do…know you were only trying to help my son and me. I am so sorry for the way I acted and the things I said to you."

"Tony…I am also sorry for the way I acted too."

Tony shakes his head, "No…Gibbs…you have nothing to apologize for. I know you were just trying to help. Back at the hospital, I was just so embarrassed and I didn't like it when you reminded me."

Gibbs was about to say something but Tony stops him, "Gibbs…please let me finish what I need to say. After you left, Lee came by and talked with me. He gave me some good advice even though I was being a bastard to toward him too. After Lee left, my little boy called me and chewed my ass out. He let me know how much I was hurting him and you. Afterwards, I tried to get a hold of you but I kept going into your voicemail so I called Abby. She told me what happen to you in the hospital parking lot. Gibbs I am so sorry…I really didn't mean to hurt you or my son. I…do now realize I can't keep going this way because it is tearing all the people I love and care for apart. I know now I need to stop acting this way. It's time for me to move on and make a better life for my son and me."

Gibbs heart drops when Tony mentions he it was time for him to move own. He is afraid Tony is going to move away and take his grandson with him. He was afraid he would never see them again especially the little boy.

Tony sees the worry look in the blue eyes. He could only imagine what his friend was thinking at the moment. Finally he says, "Gibbs…don't worry…I have no plans to move away. I am just saying it's time that I move on with my life. I know there is nothing I can't do to bring my girls back but I do still have my little boy. He means more to me than life itself and I need to start acting like his daddy again. I promise you I will continue going to my sessions and do whatever I need to do to get my head back on straight. I was also thinking maybe you and I could go up to the cabin like we planned earlier. Maybe just you and me…we can spend some time fishing and maybe talk a little. Well…maybe in this case…I will do all the talking and you listen."

Gibbs smiles, "I would like that."

A couple of hours later Gibbs and Tony had everything packed for the trip to the cabin. They were both hungry so they decided to stop by their favorite diner to get a something to eat.

It was late in the evening when they arrived at the cabin; Gibbs parks his truck on the old gravel road. He looks over at Tony and notices he has a sad look on his face. He asks, "Tony…we can always turn around and go back if you want?"

"No…I was just thinking about my little boy. I wished he was here with us."

Gibbs grins just a little, "Well…let's get unpacked and then you can call him."

As Tony enters the cabin the lights suddenly come on, he is surprise to see his little boy and Mary standing near the kitchen table. Little Tony yells surprise as he runs and jumps into his daddy's arms.

Tony looks up at Gibbs, "How…did they know…we were coming?"

"I called Mary earlier."

"When you were with me all the time."

Gibbs laughs, "I was not with you when you went to the bathroom at my house."

"Well…I guess that explains why it took us two hours to pack."

Tony kisses Mary on the cheek and thanks her for bringing his little boy to him.

She smiles, "I couldn't have been more happy when Gibbs called me and told me of your plan. We both thought it would be nice if your son was here with you."

Tony looks out the window, "I didn't see a car. How did you two get here?"

"I parked my truck behind the cabin because your son wanted to surprise you."

Tony looks at his little boy and thanks him for the awesome surprise. Both Gibbs and Mary just stand there and watch the father and son interaction. They could tell the two were so happy to see each other.

Since it was late Gibbs had invited Mary to stay the night but she told him she had things take care of and needed to head home. When she was ready to leave she said her goodbyes and heads out the door. She takes one last look around the place; she remembers how much her daughter Zoe had loved it here. Zoe once told her that Gibbs's cabin always seemed like a magical place. It was a place where she, Tony and their children would go to get away from the city life. Mary smiles sadly as she remembers her daughter had tried several time to get her to come here but she always found an excuse not to go. She now regrets her decision. As she opens the door to her truck, she takes one last look back at the cabin. She spots her little grandson waving to her from one of the windows. She smiles as she returns the wave and blows him a goodbye kiss.

As she seats herself inside the truck, she wishes she could have stay longer but she knew it was time for her to make her exist. She knows these three need some time alone to heal. She had not realized has bad it been for them until she had spent some time with her grandson. At first, the little boy was too upset to talk to her but once he was able to talk the floodgates opened and he told her everything.

As Mary starts up her truck, she knows there will be many bumps in the road for them but she knows they are at least on the road to recovery and they won't be doing it alone. They have too many family members and friends who loved them enough to help them on the journey to recovery.

Gibbs, Tony and little Tony stayed at the cabin for almost a week. In the early morning hours Gibbs would take them out on the lake to fish. Tony promises that any fish he and his son catch he would clean them. For once Gibbs made sure he didn't catch any fish but let his grandson catch all of them. Gibbs made sure Tony keep his promise. In the evening hours they would go for long walks. At night after little Tony went to bed Gibbs and DiNozzo would sit out on the porch and talked. They talked about everything but mostly about Zoe and little Abby. Sometimes Gibbs would talk about his girls. The week went by fast and it wasn't long before they head back home to Gibbs' house.

 _There should be about two more chapters after this. I will post them as soon as I am finished with them._

 _I hope you enjoyed…_


	8. CHAPTER 8 - My Name is Anthony

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _This is where I left off in the last chapter…_

 _(Gibbs, Tony and little Tony stayed at the cabin for almost a week. In the early morning hours Gibbs would take them out on the lake to fish. Tony promises that any fish he and his son catch he would clean them. For once Gibbs made sure he didn't catch any fish but let his grandson catch all of them. Gibbs made sure Tony keep his promise. In the evening hours they would go for long walks. At night after little Tony went to bed Gibbs and DiNozzo would sit out on the porch and talked. They talked about everything but mostly about Zoe and little Abby. Sometimes Gibbs would talk about his girls. The week went by fast and it wasn't long before they head back home to Gibbs' house.)_

Tony looks at the card again and reads it to himself. _'My grief and pain are mine. I have earned them. They are part of me. Only in feeling them do I open myself to the lessons they can teach, by Anne Wilson Schaef._

 _ **CHAPTER 8 – My Name is Anthony**_

It was exactly a month later when DiNozzo was cleared to finally go back to work. He still had a slight limp and had to use a cane. Doctor Smith had told him that he would probably have a slight limp for the rest of his life. As Tony enters the building he really didn't feel like talking to anyone. To avoid it he heads straight to Vance's office for his meeting. The meeting with Vance lasted for over two hours. When he is finished he heads to his office. Vance had warned him his replacement had use the office while he was gone but his secretary made sure everything was put back in place the way he had left it.

As Tony opens the door to his office he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He knew this would be another step to getting on with his life. It was something hard to do but he needed to do it for his son and his sake. He finally opens his eyes and walks into the room.

As his sits down at his desk the first things he sees is the pictures of his family. He reaches out and picks it up. He stares at it because it was the last professional photo they had taken together as a family. He smiles because he remembers Zoe had bugged him for over a month to get the picture taken. He is now glad he did. He puts the picture down and starts his computer on…

 _ **Petting Zoos…Birthdays…Surprises…Oh My**_

It was late in the summer when everyone including Mary shows up at Gibbs' cabin. As usually they were there to spend two weeks before the children head back to school.

While they unpack, Gibbs, McGee and Abby head into town to buy some supplies. By the time they returned everyone was sitting in the kitchen talking about old times. Abby had a very mischievous smile on her face as she orders Gibbs to sit down and rest. She tells Burt to help McGee bring in the supplies. When Tony stands up to help with the supplies she orders him to sit down also. Once the supplies were put away, Abby tells everyone to go outside. She leads them to the back of Gibbs' truck. In the bed of the truck were rose and lilac bushes. Abby tells them the bushes are to celebrate Zoe and little Abby's life. She wants them to be planted near the lake.

McGee and Burt take the plants down to the lake and plant them near the swings. When they were finished Abby had everyone gather around for a pray for Zoe and little Abby. She then asks each of them to talk about a fun time they had with their missing family members. When it was Tony's turn he picked his little boy up. He talked about his beautiful wife and precious little girl and said how much he and his son were going to miss them. Lastly he thanks everyone for their love and support they had shown him and his son during these difficult times. He turns to one person in peculiar and says, "Gibbs…I know it wasn't easy on you. I want to thank you for helping my little boy and me. I don't know where I would be if you hadn't step in and helped up."

On the third day, Mary wants to do something special with her grandson. When she asked him what he would like to do he told her he wanted to go to the zoo. There was no big zoo in the immediate area but there was a small petting zoo twenty miles down the road. When the other kids heard little Tony was going to the zoo they wanted to go too. Before Mary could say anything little Tony invited everyone to come along with them.

Gibbs wants to stay back at the cabin but all his grandchildren insist that he come too. The grandfather could never say no to his grandchildren so he gives in and goes with them. He did insist that he drives his own vehicle. Around noon they arrived at the petting zoo. The adults stopped at the gift shop and store to buy food to feed the animals.

The adults gave each of their children a bag of corn so they could feed the animals. Mary grabs her grandson's hand as they walk toward the deer and American bison area. Gibbs and Tony follow closely behind them. Tony had his iPhone out videotaping Mary and his grandson.

As the two walked down the trail, two ducks were going at it. Both Gibbs and Tony start laughing. Seconds later, the ducks were fighting under little Tony's feet. The little boy didn't know what to do and started screaming for help. Mary tries to shoo the ducks away from her grandchild but they continue to fight. Gibbs moved quickly to pick his grandson up while the boy's father was laughing too hard to do anything. Tony finally stops laughing when he notices Mary, Gibbs and the little boy staring at him with disapproval…

That night after the children went to bed Tony shows the videotape of two ducks. Everyone was laughing until Gibbs walks up behind Tony and slaps him on the back of the head.

On the fourth day of the vacation Tony, Gibbs and little Tony went with Mary on a long hiking trip. Since it was Mary's first time here they wanted to show her the beautiful scenery the area has to offer. Gibbs and his little grandson have no idea the hiking trip was just a ploy to keep them away from the cabin.

While the three were gone, everyone else was busy getting the birthday party ready. The party was going to be held at the veteran's center in the nearby town. The adults along with the children headed to the center to gets things ready. Tim helped as much as he could and then left to do some last minutes errands for additional items and food.

It was a little before eleven when the four hikers return. Both Tony and Mary act like they are surprised to find everyone gone. Tony pulls out his cellphone and calls Abby. A minute later Tony hangs up and tells them Abby said she burnt lunch and they decided to go into town to eat. She said there is some kind of special event going on at the veterans' center in town and the food looks good. She wants us to meet them there. She said she would save us some seats.

Gibbs declines and asks them if they could bring him something back. Mary tells him she won't have it and grabs him by the arm and escorts him to the truck.

The ride to the center didn't take long. As Gibbs parks his truck he notices the parking lot is full of cars from out of town especially from the DC area. Gibbs is suspicious and mentions it to Tony. As the father unbuckles his son he stops and looks around. Tony shrugs his shoulders and tells Gibbs that maybe some veteran is having a party or something and his old buddies showed up. Tony turns back to finish unbuckling his son from his car seat. As soon as he places his little boy on the ground little Tony runs toward the building with the three adults closely following behind him.

Once inside, a man dressed in black greets them at the door. Tony tells them they are with the Sciuto-Moore and McGee party. The man tells them to follow him and when they do he leads them to a very large and crowded room.

As they enter the room everyone starts to sing happy birthday. Gibbs thinks the party is just for his grandson and bends down to pick the little boy up so he can get a better view. It didn't take Gibbs long to notices the sign had both his grandson's and his name. Little Tony turns to him and giggles. Gibbs smiles back at the little boy.

As Gibbs surveys the guest, he couldn't help but notice some of his old marines buddies and several federal agents he had work with over the years. He grins when he spots Fornell. He is with his daughter, her husband and their five-year old daughter. Gibbs nods to his old friend who nods back to him. The two hadn't seen each other in over a year. It's because a few years back the retired FBI agent had decided to move to Colorado so he can spend more time with his daughter and her family.

When the singing was finally over Gibbs puts the little boy down. Little Tony immediately runs to his Aunt Abby because he knows if anyone knows where the cake is it would be her.

Gibbs turns his attention to Mary and Tony. He knows these two were somehow in the cahoots with the others to make this party happen. He smiles as he stares at Tony. He has that ' _payback is hell'_ look on his face. Mary laughs while Tony looks petrified. No matter how many years have passed Tony still fears that Gibbs' look. He knows Gibbs will keep his promise and he also won't know when it is going to happen but he knows it will happen. Gibbs never forgets. As Gibbs stands there for a few seconds just smiling, he feels things are almost back to normal between him and DiNozzo. He gives Tony one last look before he turns his attention to his old friend Fornell and heads toward him.

A little later, Abby yells to everyone that the food is ready and to get in line. Since today was Gibbs and little Tony's birthday party, Abby tells them they don't have to stand in line for the food because it will be brought to them. Little Tony is very upset when one of the waitresses places a plate full of barbecue ribs and vegetables in front of him. Abby almost laughs when she sees the disappointment look in her little nephew's face.

"Sorry…little man…this plate isn't for you." She takes the plate and hands it to Gibbs. She grabs the other plate with little Tony's favorite foods and places it front of the little boy. She smiles as she says, "Here…this one is for you."

When everyone was just about finished eating they brought in two candle lit cakes, one was for Gibbs and the other one was for little Tony. Little Tony blew out his four candles while Gibbs seemed to be having trouble blowing out his candles so he get the help of little Tony and his other grandchildren to help him.

When Abby cuts the first piece of little Tony cake she places it in front of him. The little birthday boy doesn't look happy at all.

"Honey…what's wrong …you don't like the cake I made for you?"

The little boy looks at her and asks, "Where is my Grump…ee's piece of birthday cake?"

Abby smiles as she asks, "You want your Grumpee's cake instead?"

She reaches toward the plate and the little boy stops her, "No…I want both cakes."

Abby pats him on his stomach, "You sure there is enough for both cakes?"

The little boy smiles, "I want to eat my Grump…ee cake now and keep mine cake for later." The little boy picks up his plate, "Can you wrap this up for me to go…please Aunt Abby?"

Abby laughs as she cuts a piece of Gibbs' cake, "Just leave that piece there and I will wrap it up as soon as I am finished cutting the cakes." She hands the little boy his piece of Grumpee's cake.

Abby turns her attention to the other birthday boy and she knows that look. "Gibbs…I suppose you want two piece of cake too?"

"My grandson gets two pieces so it's only fair I get two pieces."

Abby grins as she cuts the second piece of cake and places it on a plate. She hands the plate to Gibbs but he lifts the plate up and is his sweetest voice he asks, "Can you please wrap this piece up for me too…pleeeease Aunt Abby?"

Abby couldn't keep the grin off her face as she take the plate and sits it down next to little Tony's plate. She plans to wrap them both up later once she is finished helping to pass out the cakes to everyone.

Once everyone was finished eating their cake, Gibbs and little Tony begin opening their gifts. While Gibbs is unwrapping his first gift, he couldn't help but stop and watch as his grandson started opening his gifts. He always enjoyed watching his grandchildren open up their gifts. He especially loved watching Tony's two kids open their gifts because little Abby had this special way and later she taught it to her little brother. He can still remember when she was just three years old at the time; it was when he first started noticing it. Little Abby would stack her gifts in three piles…the need gifts, the fun gifts and the very special gifts.

The first presents little Tony opens were new clothes for school, which he really didn't care about. This would be his need stack. He grabs the next package and inside it was coloring books and crayons. He always like coloring and begins a fun pile. He will work on them later with his Grumpee. The next package had a tablet with games on it. He like it a lot and places it next with the coloring books.

When he was finished opening his all his gifts he looks puzzled.

McGee walks over and ask him what was the matter.

"I got no special gifts for my birthday."

McGee smiles as whispers into his nephew's ear. He tells the little boy there is one really special gift waiting for him outside in the parking lot. The little boy didn't need to be told twice. As soon as the little feet touch the floor he starts running toward the exit. Once outside, little Tony stops and is now frozen in place. He couldn't believe what he is seeing. He sees his daddy standing next to a _red Ferrari 12V Battery Powered_ car. Without saying a word the little boy runs toward it and jumps into the car. Seconds later he starts it up and begins driving it all around a roped off area of the parking lot.

The proud father just stands there and grins as his little boy is having a good time. A few seconds later, Gibbs walks up behind Tony and ask if he was getting a Ferrari too. Tony looks at his older friend and then they both burst out laughing.

 _ **Almost a Month Later…**_

Today is little Tony's first day at school; the father wants to be the one who takes his little boy to school. He met with little Tony's teacher and the woman seems to be very nice. He could tell his son like her. Once he made sure his son was going to be okay he decides it was time for him to leave. As he was walking out the door, little Tony runs to him and asks if they could go to the cemetery after school. He wants to visit his mommy and sister and tell them all about his day. Tony smiles and kisses his little boy on the head and promises he will take him.

As it turns out, Tony wasn't going to be able to keep his promise to his son. He had an important meeting that he couldn't get out of. He calls Gibbs and explains his situation. He asks if the older man could pick up his son from school and take him to the cemetery. He tells Gibbs when he gets out of the meeting he will be there.

It was a little over an hour before Tony was arrived at the cemetery. Gibbs finds himself standing by his truck as he watches DiNozzo and his son places flowers on both Zoe's and little Abby's graves. The father and son bowed their heads for a few minutes before Tony begins to unfold a blanket. He and his son sit down on the blanket. Gibbs watches as Tony picks up a book he had brought with him. He opens up the book and begins to read it. Gibbs smiles when he recognizes the cover on the book. It was one of little Abby's Nessie's books.

Gibbs continues to watch the father and son for a few minutes longer before he thought it was time for him to leave. He looks up at the sky. It was a beautiful day to go visit his wife and daughter. For once he had a lot of good things to share with them.

Three months after DiNozzo was released from the hospital Tony decides that it was time for him and his son to move out of Gibbs' house. It took him almost two months before he found a house that he like. It wasn't too far from Gibbs house.

 _ **My Name is Anthony…**_

Nine months passed, summer was almost over and school will be starting in a few weeks. Gibbs, Tony and his little boy, the McGees, and the _Sciuto-Moores'_ all met up at the cabin. The first week they did a little fishing, hiking and stayed a couple of nights outside camping in the woods.

On the second week, they went to the summer music festival being held at the county fairgrounds. They all made sure they got there early so they could get some good picnic tables. Gibbs watches little Burt while Abby and Delilah set up the picnic area and get the food ready.

Tony, McGee and Burt take the rest of the kids to the fairgrounds so they could play games and have some fun on the rides. Once inside the fairgrounds the children kept dragging their fathers to one ride after another. The children played a few games and each one of them won something except for little Tony. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't do it. Finally his father had to step in and win something for him. When the children grew tired of the games, one of the twins spotted a green dragon ride and they all ran to get in line. Little Tony was at the back of the group. As he watches the other children board the ride he smiles because the green dragon ride reminds him of his sister's Nessie the Lock Ness Monster. When is was his turn to board the ride he was stopped by one of the carnival operators, "Sorry kid but you're too short."

DiNozzo, who was standing on the sideline with McGee and Burt, steps forward and asks, "What's the problem?"

"Sir…is this your little boy?"

"Yes I am."

The ride operator points to a sign slightly hidden behind a post and says, "I told him he was too short for this ride."

The sign says height requirement is forty-two inches. Little Tony was four inches too short. The father looks down at his little boy, "Sorry little man…but rules are rules. Why don't we go find something else you can ride?"

The little boy shakes his head. He didn't want to ride any of the other rides but this one. He turns when he hears the ride starts up. He watches as DeeDee and the twins wave to him. He slowly waves back.

After the ride was over, they decide to head back to picnic area. Abby and Delilah had the food already for the little group. As they all helped themselves to the food little Tony couldn't help but notice that his Aunt Abby had a plate of food ready for little Burt and him. He was angry with her because she thought he was a baby like little Burt. Little Tony barely ate anything when they ask him about it he just told them he wasn't really hungry.

That afternoon they had plan is to celebrate little Tony's fifth birthday. While Tony and the rest of the adults were busy decorating inside getting the party ready, Gibbs stayed outside with his grandchildren. As the grandfather watches the children play he couldn't help notices one of his grandchildren didn't seem to be in the mood to do anything. He calls the little boy to him, "Tony…what's wrong? Why aren't you playing with the others?

The little boy couldn't even look at his grandfather instead he looks at the other children playing.

"Little buddy…are you going to answer me?"

Little Tony became even angrier when he heard the word _'little'_. He didn't want to talk to his grandfather so he just shook his head.

Gibbs had not been at the fairgrounds so he was not aware of the incident that happened at the dragon ride. As he tries to question the little boy even more Abby pokes her head out the door and tells everyone to come inside. That was Gibbs cue to made sure little Tony was the last to enter the house.

Once inside, Abby has the cake already lit while everyone begins singing happy birthday. Everything seems to be going well until Abby set the cake down in the center of the table and says, "Okay little Tony…blow out your candles and make a wish."

The little boy looks at her. His face turns red as he yells, "My…My wish is for everybo…dee stop calling me little or little Tony. My name is Anthony. I…I want to be called Anthony." Seconds later, the little boy blows out his candles and runs out the door.

Tony looks at Abby and whispers sorry before he follows his little boy out of the room.

Abby eyes began to water as she looks to Gibbs for understanding. "I…I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. We…always call him little Tony."

Everyone in the room was quiet and not sure what to say. Gibbs hugs Abby and whispers, "Let's take care of the kids. Maybe when DiNozzo comes back he can explain to us what happen."

As they finished giving the last children their cake and ice cream, DiNozzo and his son walk back into the room. They could tell the little boy had been crying but he seems to be in better spirits as he sits back down at the table. Tony asks Abby if she can give his son some cake and ice cream. When she did the little boy thanks her and tells her how sorry he is for yelling at her. She smiles and kisses him on the cheek as she hands him his plate.

While the children were eating their cake and ice cream, DiNozzo signals the adults to follow him out to the porch so they could talk in private. Once outside, Tony begins to explain to everyone why his little boy acted that way he did. "About a month ago his teacher called me to let me know that my son was being bullied because of his small stature. She told me she did talk with the children and their parents about it. I thought the whole thing was taken care of but I didn't realize how much it still bothered him. Earlier this morning at the fairgrounds they wouldn't allow him on the dragon ride because he was too small. He really wanted to go on that ride because it reminded him of his sister's Nessie."

Abby asks, "Tony…I have noticed that he is on the small size but I didn't want to say anything. Have you taken him to see his pediatrician?"

"Yes…I took him right after the incident at school. I told his pediatrician about his concerns. He ran a few tests and said there was nothing wrong with him. He told me to stop worrying so much. He said my son is due for a spurt growth and he promised me it would happen soon."

McGee cut in, "When I was his age I was on the small size too. Everyone in my class use to call me Tiny Tim and they stop once I went through a big growth spurt. Tony…I can understand why he didn't want to be called little but why doesn't he want to be called Tony? Does he hate that name that much?"

The father couldn't keep the grin off of his face, "No…he actually likes the nickname Tony. He just doesn't want to be called that because everyone calls me it but the real reason he wants to be call Anthony is because this year he had Ms. Reid and my boy really…really likes her. She always calls him Anthony and he likes that. He had plan to tell you before we headed back home."

McGee grins as he hears the teacher's name, "Oh…Ms. Reid…the twins had her last year. She really is hot."

Delilah slaps McGee as hard as she could on his arm. McGee cries, "Hey that hurts."

Tony laughs before he says, "Mcbaby…you are so right…she really is hot. My boy is going to be chip of the old block. Don't you think?"

Abby asks, "Is he going to be okay now?"

Tony smiles at her before he says, "He is. When he ran out of the room he was a little embarrassed about what he said to you and he was worried you might be mad at him."

"I could never be mad at him."

"He knows that now."

After the party was over they all head outside. While the adults were sitting on the porch watching their children play Gibbs remembers something and heads inside. He heads start to his room and to his dresser. On top of the dresser were several pictures and he picks up the one in the middle. He smiles when he looks at it. He takes it outside so he can show it to his grandson. As he sits down in his rocking chair he calls his grandson Anthony to come to him.

The little boy hops off the swing and heads toward his grandfather. As soon as he gets there his grandfather hands him the picture. Gibbs says, "Anthony…this is a picture of me when I was in kindergarten. Do you see that little boy in the center?"

"Yes."

The grandfather smiles, "That was me when I was your age. I was also the smallest kid in my class but…by next year I was the same height as the rest of the boys. The following year I was the second tallest boy in my class. What I am trying to tell you Anthony is you be patient and you will grow…maybe even grow taller than your daddy, your uncle Tim and maybe even taller than your uncle Burt."

Anthony smiles as he continues to look at Grumpee's picture. Finally he whispers, "Thank you." To him this picture gave him hope.

 _ **Exactly One Year Later…**_

School was out, they all met at the cabin for their annual summer vacation. The adults spent most of the morning unpacking and getting settled in. Outside Gibbs sits on the porch watching his grandchildren play. These days, Gibbs knee was acting up and there was not much he could do.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Abby smiles as she places some wood into the old iron stove. She had been keeping something inside her and wanted to share the good news with everyone. Finally she couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out with excitement, "This year, my DeeDee had done so well they want her to skip two grades."

McGee who was peeling potatoes at the time ask, "That is great but are you two going to let her skip two grades?"

Burt looks at Abby first before he answers McGee's question, "We both seriously talked about it for days. We weren't sure what to do so we ask DeeDee what she wanted to do. She told us she loves school, her teachers and classmates but she finds her schoolwork very boring. So we told her we would let her do it but if her school grades start to slip we will have her put back a grade. She promises us she will keep the grades up. Tim…what about your boys? How are they doing in school?"

McGee's smiles with pride, "They did pretty good too. Their teacher wants to put them an advance classes this year. If they do well they both may in up skipping a grade or two like DeeDee."

McGee turns and looks at Tony, "What about Anthony? How did he do in school this year?"

Tony smiles with daddy pride as his boast; "It was my Anthony's best year too. No only did he have a growth spurt but he did real good in school. I didn't tell you guys this…but last year the school wanted me to keep him back a year."

Abby asked, "Oh Tony…why didn't you say something? Why did they want to keep him back?"

"He was having a little problem with his speech because of his hearing. So…I signed him up with a speech therapist. It did help because every time I went to school his teacher bragged on him. She told me he was very bright and very…very observant for a child his age. She told me every time she changed something in the room…no matter how small it is my boy was always the first to notice it. Who knows maybe he will be a NCIS agent like his daddy someday?"

Abby smiles, "That's great Tony…now tell me did you get your son the surprise you plan to get him."

The father smiles, "Yep…I pick it up tomorrow."

Delilah asks, "What surprise?"

Tony stands up and looks out the window to make sure none of the kids where in earshot to hear what he was about to say. He could see them all outside playing. He turns and looks at the others. "I asked Anthony what he was like for his birthday. He told me he wants a puppy."

McGee was surprise and ask, "Puppy?"

"Yep…I am gone a lot and I think he needs a little companion."

"Tony…did you run this by Gibbs first? Remember when you drop off Anthony you are going to have to drop the puppy off too or are you going to leave it at your house?"

"I sort of told Gibbs…well maybe not. I am hoping once he see the little fellow he will be okay with him and there wouldn't be any problem."

"Tony…I really think you should have ran it by him first."

Abby walks over and slaps McGee on the shoulder, "Leave it be. We will find out how Gibbs handles it tomorrow."

Abby looks at Tony, "What kind of puppy did you get?"

Tony pulls out his IPhone to show Abby a picture, "He is a Min Pin. A miniature Pinscher and a Chihuahua mix. He's eight weeks old."

Abby looks at the picture, "Oh Tony…he is so cute. Does he have a name…yet?"

"Yes…his name is Taz. Isn't he the cutest thing you ever seen? Two weeks ago…I saw an ad online for four small puppies that need a good home. Lucky for me the woman who owes the dogs lives just about forty-five miles from here. Last weekend I went by to see them but by the time I got there he was the only one left. The poor little thing was trembling. I picked him up and he immediately stopped trembling. It wasn't long before he fell asleep in my arms. I fell in love with him that moment. The lady told me if I wanted him she would hold him for me. I told her I did."

McGee grins, "Tony…do you know why she named him Taz?"

"Nope…never asked…I figured if Anthony wants to change his name he can."

McGee smiles even more. He knew his friend was the expert when it comes to old movies and television but McGee took pride in knowing more about the comics and cartoons. He decides not to educate his friend on who Taz is. He can't wait to see the puppy and hopes the puppy personality matches its giving name…

Early the next morning, Tony leaves to go pick up his son's birthday surprise. Both Abby and Delilah decides to go along with him. The two women couldn't wait to see the new puppy but they also wanted to get a few things for the party.

I have one more chapter after this and I will be finished with the Grumpee stories. I hope you enjoy…


	9. CHAPTER 9 - A Time to Say Goodbye

**The Altruistic Grumpee**

By Glow60

 _Here is where I left off…_

 _(McGee grins, "Tony…do you know why she named him Taz?"_

" _Nope…never asked…I figured if Anthony wants to change his name he can."_

 _McGee smiles even more. He knew his friend was the expert when it comes to old movies and television but McGee took pride in knowing more about the comic books and cartoons. He decides not to educate his friend on who Taz is. He can't wait to see the puppy and hopes the puppy personality matches its giving name…_

 _The next morning, Tony leaves early to go pick up his son's birthday surprise. Both Abby and Delilah decides to go along with him. The two women couldn't wait to see the new puppy but they also wanted to get a few things for the party.)_

 _Here is my last Chapter. I hope you enjoy…_

 _ **CHAPTER 8 – A Time to Say Goodbye**_

It was almost noon when Tony, Abby and Delilah return. McGee and Burt meet them at the truck so they can help carry the bags in. Tony has a box with holes in it. He carries the box in the house and asks Gibbs if he could place it in his room. He didn't want his son to see it until the birthday party. Gibbs notices the holes and follows him into the room.

"Tony…what is in the box?"

Tony smiles, "It's…it's my son's birthday present."

Gibbs could tell Tony was trying to hide something, "Tony…I know it's your son's present but what is inside the box?"

"You remember that day we went to the mall to have lunch together. Do..do you remember my little boy wanted to go see the puppies?"

"Yes…"

"Well…I ask him about a month ago what he would like for his birthday and he told…told me he wanted a puppy."

Gibbs gave Tony his famous stare before he asks, "What kind of dog did you get?"

"He's a Min Pin…part miniature Pinscher and part Chihuahua mix. Gibbs…he's just a cute little bitty dog. I promise you he won't cause any problems when I drop him off at your house during the days."

"Let me see…you got a puppy and when did you plan on telling me you would be bringing it to my house?"

"Gibbs…I…I am sorry…I know I should said something but…..but…I…"

"DiNozzo…all I can say is he better not give me any problems and he better be already potty trained."

That afternoon, Tony, McGee and Gibbs took the children down to the lake area to play. Abby, Delilah and Burt stay in the cabin and decorated the kitchen area. Once they were finished Abby signaled them that they were ready for the party.

Anthony enters the house he is surprised when everyone begins singing Happy Birthday. Abby has him blow out the candles. After everyone was finished eating their cake and ice cream it was time to open the gifts. Little Tony opens the Sciuto-Moores and McGees gifts first. When it came time to open Gibbs' gift he ask that his be the very last one.

Tony heads to Gibbs room and returns with the box with the holes is it. Anthony was puzzled because the box was not wrapped up nice. It was brown and had holes in it. Tony encourages him to open the box. The little boy opens one flap and looks inside. He grins and begins yelling, "I got a puppy…I got a puppy."

The little tiny black and tan puppy pokes his head out and begins to lick the little boy's face. He picks the little dog up and begins to hug it. He thanks his daddy. He sets the puppy down and it starts to run around the room. All the children want to play with it.

Anthony looks up at his father and asked him what the dog's is. Tony told him the puppy's name was Taz but if he wanted to change it he could. The little boy repeated the name but decided that he like it and wants to keep it that way.

The sun was going behind the mountain when Gibbs tells his grandson that he has a present for him. He heads to his bedroom and returns shortly with a big wrapped present. The little boy opens it and inside was a nice blue dog cage for his puppy.

Tony has a surprise look on his face as he ask, "How did you know?"

Gibbs just smiles but doesn't say a word.

It was sometime in the middle of the night Gibbs woke up. He was thirsty and decides to get some water. As he heads toward the sink he steps into something that was very squishy on the floor. He knows immediately what it is. He cusses to himself as he cleans his foot off with paper towels. He didn't hesitate to wake Tony up and make him get up and clean up the mess.

As the years pass, little Taz became more of Gibbs little buddy. As Anthony grew older he had less and less time to spend with the little dog. Little Taz started staying more over at Gibbs' house. He became a very good and close companion for the older man. When the little dog passed away Gibbs buried him by the rose bushes next to the lake.

 _ **Seventeen Years Later…**_

Gibbs had just come from the doctors and the news was not good. He throws his keys on the small desk in the hallway and heads into the living room. These past few months he had not been feeling well and knew something was wrong. The trip to the doctors only confirmed his suspicions. He sits down on the couch and stares at the picture of his wife and daughter above the fireplace.

Finally he stands up and walks toward it. He picks it up and begins rubbing his finger across it. He whispers, "I miss you two so much. My girls…it won't be long before I join you both and I can't wait…."

As Gibbs puts the picture of Shannon and Kelly back on the mantel, he couldn't help but notice the other pictures. Gibbs knew he was going to have to tell them, but he wants to do it at the cabin. He picks up his cellphone and begins to make the calls.

Everyone accepted his invitation but his grandson Anthony. The young man tells him he and his schoolmates have chipped in and chartered a private yacht so they could go sailing around the Caribbean during their summer vacation. He promised him he will be gone for about a month and once they return he will stop by and visit him. Gibbs tells him he understood and presses the end of call button.

Two weeks later, they all meet at Gibbs' cabin. They knew when Gibbs called them it was something very important and they needed to be there even though they were coming from all over the country. Ten years ago, Burt had been promoted and was now working in the San Francisco office. Abby and their children had moved with him. DeeDee finished college and was now working in the same field as her mother. Little Burt graduated from high school and was attending Stanford University. A few years ago, McGee and Delilah moved to Hawaii. It was right after their twin sons had graduated from the Navel Academy in Maryland. As for DiNozzo and his boy, Tony was now the director at NCIS and spent a lot of time traveling. Anthony followed in his father's footsteps and went to Ohio State. He only came home on very rare occasions.

When they first arrived at the cabin, they tried to find out what was going on with Gibbs but he would not tell them anything except that he wanted to spend some time with them. The next day Abby, Tim and Tony couldn't hold it any longer. They wanted to know what was going on with Gibbs. The three drew straws to see who was going to ask Gibbs. As usual Tony drew the short straw…

That afternoon, DiNozzo talks Gibbs into going fishing with him. While the two were sitting in the boat, Gibbs could tell DiNozzo had something on his mind and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. Gibbs being Gibbs decides he wasn't going to make it easy on friend so he asks, "DiNozzo are you going to say what you are thinking or do I have to guess?"

Tony had that innocent look on his face, "Why…what do you mean?"

Gibbs tries not to grin, "DiNozzo…when was the last time you wanted to come fishing with me?"

"Wh…what are you talking about? I…I go fishing with you every time we are up here?"

Gibbs grins, "Yes…you do…but the only time you ever want to go fishing with me ALONE is when you have something on your mind. So what is it DiNozzo?"

At first Tony tries stalling, "No…I think…wait…what about that time? No…McGee came with us didn't he? How about that time…"

"DiNozzo…let's just stop playing this game. What's on your mind?"

Tony looks away for a few seconds finally he says. "Gibbs…we…I mean Abby, Tim and me want to know why you want us here? It's driving us…."

Gibbs cut him off, "Stop…I just want to spend some time with you. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes…Gibbs…this is not like you. We know something is wrong and we are all worried about you."

Gibbs checks his fishing line and nothing. He reels it in just a little before he says, "I had planned to tell everyone the day before we all head back home. I just wanted to enjoy this time we have together without any sadness. DiNozzo…for the last couple of years I have been seeing a cancer specialist off an on. I have prostate cancer and before you ask…it's stage four and there is nothing they can do about it."

Tony didn't expect this and was not sure what to say at the moment. He eyes water as he stares at the man who was a mentor, father and friend to him for so many years.

Gibbs smiles, "DiNozzo…this is why I didn't tell anyone. After all these years you should know me better than anyone. I am a private person and I have always preferred to keep things like this to myself. I just wanted a few nice days with everyone before I break the news."

"Gibbs…you should have told us…or at least told me. I could have been there for you when you went to the doctors. I would have…"

Gibbs raises his hand to stop him. He laughs a little before he says, "Should have…could have and would have. It is one of my favorite sayings."

This time DiNozzo laughs a little, "Yah…it is."

Gibbs stops laughing and waits to see if his friend was going to say anything else.

Tony sits there thinking back for any signs that could have been a flag to him. He knows he was busy at NCIS but he always made it a point to visit Gibbs at least twice a month to check up on him. During those time he never notice Gibbs was sick. All he ever noticed was that the older man was slowing down and having to use a cane or sometimes walker to get around. He just thought it was age related and nothing else.

Tony thoughts were interrupted when Gibbs yells to him. For a second he is confused and asks, "What?"

Gibbs grabs Tony's fishing line from him. He begins reeling in the line as he says, "DiNozzo…I plan to tell everyone before we leave. I just wanted some time without anybody treating me like I was sick. Can you understand that?"

DiNozzo nods his head.

As Gibbs continues to reel in the fish he says, "DiNozzo…I want everyone to know that I have everything taking care of. Nobody needs to be worried or do anything. I have sold my house and most of my things. I am donating the money from my house to the Wounded Warrior Fund. As for the cabin I am leaving it to you, McGee and Abby. As for all my grandchildren I am leaving each one of them a special memory that we shared together. Your son is going to get my dad's old truck. Lastly…as you already know I want to be buried with my Shannon and my Kelly. My funeral and burial arrangements are already taking care of..."

As Gibbs continuous to reels the fish onto the boat he turns and looks at Tony, "DiNozzo do me a big favor…I want to enjoy this time right now. I do plan to tell the others before this vacation is over but I want to tell them…myself. So please keep this between you and me for now."

Tony told him he would.

Once the two were finished fishing they head back to the cabin. A little after they returned both Abby and McGee cornered Tony to find out what was going on with Gibbs. Tony lied and told them Gibbs didn't tell him anything.

It was a couple of hours before suppertime when Tony announces he wants to buy pizza. McGee and Burt offer to go with him but he tells them he is okay and he wants to go alone. He then takes everyone's orders and heads into town.

On the way into town, Tony stops his car by the side of the road. He was finally alone and had held his emotions in long enough. He wants to be strong for Gibbs but he wasn't sure if he could do it. He just can't get what Gibbs had told him out of his mind. His mentor and father figure was dying and there was not a damn thing he could do about. No matter how crazy and dangerous their lives had been together…Gibbs had brought him some normalcy that he believes he never would have had if it weren't for Gibbs guidance. He loves that man and he was going to miss…

It was almost a half an hour later when Tony was standing inside of Joe's Pizza Joint. After he pays for his order he sits down in one of the booths. He tries to make a call to his son but there was no answer. He leaves a message, "Listen son…I know you might have already started your trip and maybe out of range. If you do get this message please call me. It's urgent I need to talk with you. It's to do with Grumpee. Please call me back as soon as you can."

The father is surprised and relieved when his phone rang a few seconds later.

"Dad…is Grumpee okay?"

Tony didn't want to tell his son the truth because he had promised Gibbs that he would keep what he was told to himself. So he only says, "Son…I can't explain right now. You just need to come to the cabin. Grumpee has something important he wants to tell all of us and he would like everyone to be at the cabin when he does. Is there anyway you can be here by Friday."

Tony hears the hesitation in his son voice before his son says, "Dad…I am in the Florida Keys right now. We…were just getting ready to leave. Dad…give me a minute I…I need to talk with my friends."

Tony had to wait only a few seconds before his son came back on and told him he would be there.

Early Friday morning, Gibbs was sitting in the rocking chair on the porch. He was thinking about what he plans to tell the others when he hears a noise. He looks up and sees a car he doesn't recognize coming up the driveway. He stands up so he could get a better look. The tint on the windows is too dark for him to make out who it could be. As the driver's door opens Gibbs smiles because the one family member who was missing was finally here. With the help of his walker Gibbs slowly steps off the porch to greet his grandson.

As soon as Anthony steps out of the car the younger man moves quickly to his grandfather. The two men hug each other. Finally Gibbs releases his hold and steps back so he can get a better look at the younger man. The older man couldn't help but grin; the little boy he had helped raise was now a very tall and handsome young man. The blond hair turned dark and his grandson was at least five inches taller than his own dad. Gibbs couldn't keep the smile off his face as he says, "Anthony…it's so good to see you again. I didn't think you were going to be here."

The young man smiled, "Dad called me and said you had something important to tell us so I came. Grumpee…I am sorry I should have come here sooner."

Gibbs smiles, "It's okay because you are here now and that is all that matters. Come let's go sit on the porch and talk for a little while."

It was later that afternoon when Gibbs calls everyone together to breaks the news about his health. For the rest of the day it was pretty quiet in the cabin. Each person was lost in his or her thoughts as what to do. As expected, Abby was the one who took it the hardest. Every time she would look at Gibbs she would start crying or want to hug him. After a while Gibbs couldn't take it longer so he tells them he needs some private time. He heads outside to get away for a little while. These days arthritis was his enemy and he decides to take a walk down to the pond. He sits down on one of the swing that he had made so many years ago for his grandchildren.

A few minutes later, Gibbs is not surprised when his grandson joins him. The young man looks so lost and not sure what to say or do. He asks his grandfather if it was okay if they could talk. Gibbs invites him to sit down on the other swing. Once seated Anthony says, "Grump…ee…I."

Gibbs smiles, "You don't have to say. As I said earlier you are here and that is that matter to me."

The young man smiles, "Grumpee…you…you have always been there for me and my dad. I want to be here for you now."

Gibbs smiles, "You have your own life to lead and you don't need to be hanging around an old man."

The grandson didn't try to hide the tears that were now flowing freely down his cheeks, "Grumpee…I…I want to be…(sob)…be here for you. You mean so much to me. I…I just don't know what I am going to do without you."

"You will go on…"

"No…(sob)…don't say that! Don't you every say that! I love you Grumpee. You mean so much to me."

As the younger man continues to cry, Gibbs stands up and reaches out and pulls the younger man into his arms. Gibbs could feel his grandson's tremors as he continues to cry. The two stayed that way for the longest time….

Two months later, all Gibbs' loves one are there for his finally moments. Each one of them spent some private time with him. The last ones were Tony and Anthony. By this time Gibbs could barely keep his eyes open. He smiles at both of them and tell them he was very proud of the men they both had become. He told Anthony that he was proud to call him his grandson and how much he loved him. As the time was getting closer he ask Tony to come nearer. Tony could barely hear him so he bends down closer. He smiles when Gibbs barely could lift his arm and lightly touches the back of his head. He knew this was Gibbs way of telling him how much he loved him. Tony whispers, "I love you too…Boss."

When they were finished they called everyone into the room. Gibbs smiles at everyone. He used to think he was going to die alone but he is never so wrong. As he took he last breath, the room was full of all the people who love him. He had no fear of death because he was going to join his love ones who had crossed before him. As he closes his eyes for the last time he never felt so blessed.

A week after the funeral they all met at Gibb's old cabin. The first day they were there they planted three new rose bushes down by the lake. The roses were for Gibbs, Shannon and Kelly. After the bushes were planted they stood there and share their special moments about the man who had and will always have a special place in their heart.

After they were finished, Tony and his son decide to go for a walk. When the father and son return, the two men stopped within a few feet of Gibbs' old pickup truck. The truck originally had belonged to Gibbs' dad. After Jackson's death Gibbs drove the truck on a few occasions but he mostly kept it parked inside the garage. When Anthony was old he started asking his Grumpee all kinds of questions about it. Once he was old enough Gibbs begin to teach him how to work on it and later how to drive it. Gibbs promised him one day the truck would be his.

As the younger man walks around the truck he examines it. He finally stops in front of the driver door. He touches the handle before he says, "Dad…I still find it so hard to believe he is gone."

The father eyes water as he looks at his son, "I know what you mean because I feel the same way. Your Grumpee…was one of those people you meet in life who made your feel like you mattered. If it weren't for him I would not be the person I am today. You know son…in a way Grumpee is still with us. He will live on in our hearts and memories. I am pretty sure you will someday talked to your own grandchildren about him and I know there are so many great stories you will have to tell them."

The younger man smiles as he opens the door and looks inside, "Dad…I will have many stores about him and I will also have many stories about Sissy, Mom and you. Dad…I'm not sure I can get behind the wheel without seeing Grumpee or hearing him yell at me because I might strip the gears."

The father laughs out loud, "I know…he once yelled at me for putting a tiny little scratch on the fender. I swore after that I wouldn't get within ten feet of the truck. Do you know that right after he retired from NCIS I still would jump when he called my name and stared at me a certain way. Right now…I can just picture Grumpee in heaven looking down on us as he gives us that stare when he doesn't like something we say or do."

Anthony smiles, "Dad…(sign)…I am going to miss him so much."

Tony reaches out and pulls his son into his arms and hugs him. Seconds later the two decide its time for them to go inside. Anthony shuts the truck door. As they heads toward the house, Tony laughs out laughed and says, "Anthony…did I ever tell you about the time your Grumpee gave me my first head slap?"

The younger man shakes his head as his father begins to tell him the story…

 _ **The End…**_

 ** _I hope you enjoyed?_**


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